The new Sith- Rise of an order
by 1saaa
Summary: Darth Sidious has just killed his master. and now with the entire galaxy at his feet he decides to leave the rule of two in the dust and forms plans to turn multiple Jedi to the dark side. with his plan set in motion it looks like there is no hope for the light side of the force...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is a fanfiction that was dreamed up in one of my sleepless nights and noted down the next morning. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I will enjoy writing it.**

 **Chapter 1: the dream of the apprentice.**

Darth Sidious had a dream. His master Darth Plaugueis the 'wise' had taught Sidious that the sith had collapsed due to infighting and that was why the rule of two had to remain. That was why Plaugueis and his predecessors had enforced the rule so harshly. That was why Sidious burned those teachings to ashes. He was destined to be the greatest sith in history. Far greater than Naga Sidow, Darth Revan and even Darth Bane. He was going to create a new sith order that was bound together by blood and loyalty to the master, who would rule over them all. To do that he needed apprentices and he had already found his first one… She knew him as the voice that called to her but soon she would know and fear him as Lord Sidious, the greatest sith to exist. This was what Sidious swore to do as he stood above the burning corpse of his weak and foolish master. The old man was blinded to the past, desperately trying to create the perfect apprentice. It was in a fit of rage after their failed attempt and his master's continuous insistence that the experiment would continue that Sidious killed Plaugueis. No amount of force power would create the perfect being and if it did, Sidious would make this perfect being his slave. The dark lords plan was flawless, the time for the Jedi to end had come.

Siri Tachi slipped out of the Jedi temple wrapping her black cloak around her. She was going to meet the voice. The voice that had been speaking to her for three weeks. The voice that had been guiding and warning her for three weeks. The night in Courascant was cold and bitter.

"Just like me" Siri mused. As she walked down the massive high street she could not help but to look back on these past three weeks…

Three weeks ago it had come to her one night. There it had been curious and warm. Siri remembered that night as clear as day. She had been training with Bruk Chun, an annoyingly cocky Jedi initiate. The brat had disarmed her easily before mocking her talents with a sabre. It had not been a good day. When the voice came to her she was fuming but the voice had taught her a valuable lesson. Anger when used correctly, can be a valuable tool. The next day she crushed Bruk in their duel harnessing the anger she had felt the previous day. Why would the Jedi lock away such a powerful tool for battle?

Two weeks ago the voice took her into the most secret catacombs of the Jedi temple. The voice had used its powers to assist her and then it took her to the holocron vault. The voice had simply asked her to meditate and decide which holocron to take. She meditated as instructed and raised her hand as if by instinct. The holocron that came to her was one on advanced sith fighting techniques. Siri took it and fled to her chambers. It was from that holocron that she gradually learned some of the advanced sith fighting styles. After studying the sith holocron Siri would slip back into the holocron vault and place it back in its normal position.

Using the techniques from the holocron she easily outmatched almost every one of her opponents with stunning ease. She had to be careful though; one slip up in her shields and her entire scheme would be broken. One night as Siri was studying how to effectively use the force to sustain herself in battle. It was then that the voice shrieked a warning. The empty slot inside the vault had been discovered! Already Jedi masters were scouring the corridors; looking for the holocron. Siri was a fast thinker and was already headed for Bruk's chamber. The boy was meditating. Siri could feel the dark side energies surrounding him.

"So its true." Bruk muttered. "I always knew there was another Jedi studying the darkness but you?! The force is obviously playing a with me." Bruk sneered enjoying his moment of superiority over the girl. "What have you come to do? Turn me in? You are just as guilty as me girl." Bruk spat. Siri flinched, Bruk was right what could she do?

Then she heard the voice in her head: _"Strike him down and all will be forgiven."_

"Yes master." Siri muttered not even realising what she had said. With that in mind Siri drew her violet sabre. And thus they began their duel. Soon it became obvious that despite Siri's increase in skill and utilising more powerful techniques, she was no match for the raw dark side energy of Bruk.

"What's wrong Siri? Worried that you can't defeat me without any masters watching?" Bruk taunted. Siri was to tired to reply. She was pulling on more and more dark side techniques but it was all to no avail. That was until she heard the voice in her head again: _sink yourself into the dark side and you shall gain victory. Wipe that smirk off his face and show him your true potential!"_ Seeing no other options the weary Siri obeyed finally diving into the pool of the dark side. Immediately it began to pay off. She felt her weariness fade away and her strength returning. The two were now evenly matched but with the voice guiding her Siri slowly began to gain ground. She could see it in his eye's, he was about to break. Siri knew that she could pull a successful trick on him now as his weariness closed in. she feinted to the left and Bruk blocked the blow. He did not stop the one coming for his head…

Siri gazed down on her defeated opponent with elation. So many questions ran through her mind. Why did the Jedi ban the darkness? Who is this voice? What made Bruk fall to the darkness? She thought she should feel some remorse for what she had done but oddly she felt none. Siri glanced at herself in the mirror and what she saw was shocking. The grey calm eyes that she was so used to had been replaced by a golden yellow. Was this a result of her using the dark side?

"You have to help me!" She desperately called out to the voice. You can't just leave me like this! They will kick me out of the order if you don't help me! The voice replied: _Open your mind to me and I will guide your actions._ Siri hesitated, she had always been taught that you should never open your mind to any one, especially someone you don't know. But she could now sense the Jedi masters approaching the room and she knew that she had no time.

"Okay, just don't let them kick me out of the order." The voice guided Siri through her meeting with the council. She expected the council to expel her even with the voices help but she was pleasantly surprised.

"Not expel you from the Jedi order, we will." Master Yoda stated.

She turned a street corner headed for a dingy street pub. Looking back the council went ridiculously easy on her; they were fools. Siri could sense a great amount of pain from one of the rooms upstairs. The republic was failing and the Jedi were failing with it. If a republic cannot prevent murders in its own houses how could it hope to prevent war?

As the week progressed Siri spent every night awake training. The voice talked her through movement patterns and in the dark side. When Siri finished her training her eyes were always the same yellow as before. Siri found that she enjoyed the darkness. It fully enveloped her entire soul wrapping around her like a great warm blanket. The darkness was like a drug once you had a taste you were hooked for good. Siri remembered with amusement her reaction when she had first woke up with yellow eyes. It had been a shock at first but now it felt oddly familiar. The only problem with the eyes was that it was a constant effort to stop them turning yellow In front of the council and the Jedi.

Siri turned into another backstreet. Some poor beggar was on the floor

"Any spare change lass?" he croaked. Siri turned and looked at the helpless man dead in the eyes. That was a mistake. He recoiled at her yellow eyes. Siri cursed under her breath but perhaps there was a silver lining in this cloud of annoyance. She raised her hand and tightened it, a perfect force choke. She was careful to make sure the force attacked the outside of the neck. She doubted that anyone would care about the mysterious circumstances of the beggar's death but just to be sure she made it look like any other street crime, all to common in this weak republic. She could have erased his memory but that was something a Jedi would do and Siri did not want anything to do with the Jedi. As she continued her walk down memory lane Siri came across her most painful ones. It was that memory more than any over that drove her out of the Jedi temple that night.

By this time Siri had let the voice have access to her entire mind. Very soon the voice discovered her most hidden secret. Siri was fed up with the order. There rules about the dark side were stupid and their rules against attachment were also stupid. Furthermore rumours had spread that she was responsible for the death of Bruk. Despite attending his funeral many were still sceptical about Siri's involvement with his death. That was why the Jedi council suggested Siri attending the funeral. Not that she gave a fuck about Bruk. As far as Siri was concerned he was a petty weak initiate playing with the dark side.

What really defined that week was how the voice figured out Siri's deepest secret. It was the one part of her mind that Siri did not let the voice into but as she was eating her lunch her thoughts drifted to it and the voice caught on pretty quickly. Siri realised this very quickly and decided to open the subject.

"Today I am going to leave the Jedi order." She said to the voice.

" _And why would you do that?"_ The voice replied already knowing the answer.

"I am in love with Obi Wan Kenobi. I am going to go and confess my love to him and then we will leave the order together and start a family" Siri confidently declared.

 _"I would not be so sure about that,"_ the voice stated.

"And why is that?" Siri retorted.

 _"I can look into the future and I can say that if you confess your love to Obi Wan he will reject you."_ The voice smoothly stated.

"I don't believe you! I will go to Obi Wan and I will prove you wrong!

It was evening inside the Jedi temple. The sunrays of Courascant were beautifully arching over the city planet. Siri had finished her evening training session with the other initiates. Now Obi Wan was the only youngling willing to duel with Siri. They were walking together. Obi Wan opened the conversation:

"So Siri what's on your mind?" he asked. Siri was fidgeting nervously with her fingers; it was now or never.

"Look Obi Wan I know this is out of the blue but I really like you and I want to be with you. We can leave the order, start a family together and we won't be tied down by the Jedi anymore!" Siri said. Obi Wan's reply was something Siri knew in her heart of hearts was coming.

"What?" Obi Wan was so surprised it took a while for his keen brain to fully process what had just been said to him and when he did his reply was the worst thing Siri could have possibly heard.

"I am really sorry Siri, I just don't feel the same way about you…" Obi Wan trailed off, looking sheepish. He tried to find some words to comfort Siri but she had already fled.

Siri's temper had greatly increased since recalling that particular memory. She pitied the first being who provoked it. After that she spent two hours alone in her room crying. During that time the voice did not speak to Siri preferring to let her drown in her own misery. As Siri's tears dried she sensed Obi Wan in the Jedi councils chambers. Not only had the prick rejected her he had then proceeded to snitch on her to the council. That was when her sadness was turned into boiling rage. She felt the darkness circulating in an area outside of the temple beckoning to Siri. That was when she stole out of the temple.

Siri was approaching that darkness now; as she turned the corner Siri ran slap bang into a Togruta woman. This was the woman who was on the receiving end of Siri's anger; after Siri was finished with the Togruta blood soaked the street. It had taken less than a second to speed up the woman's blood flow to the point where her entire body exploded. It was a difficult trick to perform but it was well worth it. Siri felt like her temper had cooled enough to face this darkness, whatever it was.

The source of the darkness was a hooded figure. It was almost as if he was waiting for her, which he was. By instinct the girl bowed. The hooded figure turned to Siri.

"I have been waiting for you." The cloaked figure spoke. It was the voice; she finally had a face to this mysterious voice! She owed this voice so much! It had helped guide her through multiple challenging situations and when Siri was foolish enough to ignore its advice she had suffered for it. Now to get a name out of this voice

"What should I call you?" Siri blurted out. Fro some reason the term master came to her mind the moment Siri said it.

"You may call me Darth Sidious." The sith lord replied. Siri was not all that surprised, in truth she had began to think she was dealing with a sith lord for a while but the reality still had a huge impact on her.

"What are you doing here?' Siri asked. In truth it was another foolish question. Sidious looked Siri straight in the eye.

"Why are you here?" Sidious asked in reply. Siri stopped dead. What was she doing here? Then the answer hit her dead in the chest.

"To serve you master. I care nothing for the Jedi anymore. I only wish to serve the true master of the sith. That master is you milord." Siri held her bow waiting for the sith lord to reply.

"Good, good. You shall become my new apprentice. Henceforth you shall be known as Darth Xeraph." Sidious declared. The newly minted sith raised her head. Her yellow eye's flashed in the darkness.

"What are your orders my master?" The sith apprentice asked. Eagerly waiting her first opportunity to serve the sith…

 **A/N well what did you think? Please share your thoughts in a review. I am also writing another story right now so I am not sure which one I will spend more time writing. If I get a lot of feedback from this story I will write this one more and if not I will figure it out from there. Thank you so much for reading I greatly appreciate it and if you have any questions send them to my through a review or PM and I will do my best to reply. I hope you enjoyed this and have a great night** **J**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N this is going to be a long one. Huge thank you to all those who followed and added the new sith to their favourite story's list. It really encourages me to keep on writing, special thank you to rexwriter and force magic who posted reviews** **J** **I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations**

 **Chapter 2: Betrayal and hypocrisy**

Darth Xeraph growled in annoyance. When she joined the Sith she was not prepared to return to the temple of the Jedi to spy on the old fools that resided inside of it. Her only other orders had been to try and find other Jedi to turn the dark side. That would be interesting but she knew that it would take a while before she found a good opportunity to turn anyone. She had received four hours of sleep before being awoken by the bitch that had rejected her: Obi Wan Kenobi. She knew she was being sent to the council for another lecture on how to control her darkness. The fools did not realise that she was already absorbed in it!

The turbo lift to the council chamber was deathly silent. Xeraph spent her moment alone hiding her true nature from the fools on the council. The meeting was the same standard bullshit.

"Learn to control your darkness, you should." Master Yoda stated. "Be careful not to let it overwhelm you." Mace Windu added in. It was not anything Xeraph thought was worth listening to, she tuned out and barely caught what Yoda said at the end

"Assist you in overcoming your darkness, a member of the council shall." The green alien spoke in his backwards-galactic basic.

Xeraph let out a sigh of relief after exciting the council chamber. It was not that they could sense her darkness but all of the masters especially Yoda looked like they were reading into everything she said. It was extremely unnerving. She wondered which member of the Jedi council was going to 'assist' her, Xeraph hoped it was not Yoda. As Xeraph walked down the corridor a Jedi knight called to her:

"Siri, just want to say: I hope you did not get to dressed down by the council. See you around!" Xeraph merely nodded in agreement and kept on walking. She felt a message coming from her master:

" _Lady Xeraph, come to our meeting place last night. The Jedi in their wisdom have decided to try and ambush us, we should teach them a lesson."_ Lord Sidious snarled.

"Yes master." Xeraph replied; it would be good to test her power against the weakness of the Jedi.

 **That night**

Xeraph took the same journey as she did last night. She walked past the body of the beggar she had choked; already he had been stripped of all of his possessions. When she expanded her senses she could sense three Jedi lying in wait for her.

 _"You shall defeat them all lady Xeraph. Or you will suffer the consequences…"_ Her master's instructions were clear and lady Xeraph had already formed a plan in her mind. She walked into the chamber with her hood off. Immediately the Jedi released their feeble cloaking inside the force.

"Siri what are you doing here?" the most experienced of the Jedi asked.

"Siri? Siri is dead; she died here on this very spot. And you will be next!" The Sith lady grinned savagely before moving into a great force assisted leap and striking down the Jedi who had asked her the question. The second Jedi soon followed taking a blow straight to the chest. Xeraph launched a force push at the third sending his hood flying off. She was about to strike him down as well but then Xeraph realised that this was the Jedi who had taken the time to greet and encourage her. Xeraph hesitated just for a moment and in that time the knight blurted out a question:

"Siri why are you attacking us? We are your friends!" The Jedi roared.

"Siri is dead! I am Darth Xeraph! And you will die!" the young sith roared before sending her sabre through the Jedi's throat.

Xeraph bowed in front of her master. She could sense the rage building up in him like a storm and she was not at all surprised when the storm struck.

"You hesitated!" Sidious spat. "A sith shows no mercy, a sith is ruffles and when a sith has an enemy within there reach they will destroy them!" Sidious roared. "Now for your first lesson!" As Sidious said this he unleashed a blast of lightning from his fingertips. It was more painful than anything Xeraph had ever experienced. It was like some foul beast was ripping apart every cell in Xeraph's body at the same time. "You are weak, pathetic and useless. Prove me wrong girl! I challenge you to! There are many other Jedi I can turn; you are a tool to me! You are the most useless rat I have ever encountered!" Sidious taunted. Xeraph grunted in pain, before she was just enduring the bolts of pure pain but now she harnessed her inner anger. How dare Sidious call her weak! She would show him how powerful she was. First Xeraph deflected the bolts letting the wall take the full force of the lightning. Then she brought together all of her rage and hate against Sidious and the Jedi condensing it into one great mass of power. Then she sent all the power out through her hands, the intention had been to create a force push but instead she ended up with something much more powerful: force lightning. The blast caught Sidious completely off guard; he had been expecting retaliation but nothing on this scale. Xeraph grinned in triumph and drew her purple sabre preparing for the kill. As she brought the sabre down she felt her entire body stop as if some kind of invisible force was halting her.

"Very impressive Lady Xeraph. Very impressive." Sidious complimented.

"Your impressed that I almost killed you?" Xeraph asked.

"No, I am impressed that you were willing to kill me. One day the apprentice will gain more power than the master and the apprentice will overthrow the master. You could be that apprentice. If you proved unwilling to kill me I would try a different method. That is the way of the sith and don't forget it girl."

Xeraph bowed her head. It made perfect sense why Sidious treated her the way he did.

"I am also impressed that you managed to master force lightning at such an early level in your training. You will become a powerful sith. But remember my words girl; hesitate and your reward will be pain, fail and your reward will be pain and betray the sith will reward you with pain."

Xeraph kept her head bowed "Do you have a mission master?" She asked.

"No" Sidious spat. "Tonight we train."

 **The Jedi temple**

Xeraph groaned. Sidious had pushed her to her limit last night and she was feeling the repercussions of it now. It sickened her to be surrounded by so much light. She wished to touch the dark side even for a moment but she knew that there was a very high chance that she would be noticed. Her comm started beeping.

Wearily she switched it on " _Siri Tachi?"_ It was Shaak Ti on the other end of the line.

"Yes" Xeraph replied. Of all the masters on the council Shaak was by far the most bearable.

 _"Come to my chambers when you have finished getting up. We have much too discuss young one._

"Yes mater" Xeraph replied.

As Xeraph walked into Shaak Ti's chamber she almost walked slap bang into another knight. "My apologies young one. Don't get to bored with Shaak, she can be quite a pain sometimes." And with that the Knight walked out.

"Who was that?" Xeraph asked referring to the knight that just walked out.

"Him? He is knight Kitnandor. He is my lo- best friend and a close confident in many ways." Shaak replied. Xeraph picked up Shaak's hesitation. The Sith smiled; it would seem that this Jedi master held many secrets.

"So tell me Siri, how are you controlling your darkness?" Shaak asked. Her heart was not in it; the girl was simply not opening up.

"Fine" Xeraph muttered.

"Very well. We shall begin with some calming meditation." Shaak smiled. It was as the Togruta master said. Calming meditation was frustrating for Xeraph. It forced her to bathe in the light, to bask in its 'brilliance'. Xeraph endured it for about an hour before she dared ask Shaak a question.

"Master, why is the dark side banned?" Shaak glanced up sharply. She had been waiting for a question along those kinds of lines for a while.

"Well you see Siri. The dark side destroys one's greatest qualities. If we were to give into it we would destroy ourselves in the process." Shaak answered.

"But what if you could control the power of the dark side without it controlling you?" Xeraph asked "That way the Jedi could use more power to save people." Xeraph was not actually interested in the Jedi embracing the dark side. She just merely wanted to see their philosophy on the topic so she could turn it against them. Shaak took her time in answering.

"No one has ever been able to become a sith without losing themselves in the darkness. You pose an interesting question but ultimately unless someone can prove the council wrong the darkness will remain to be banned." Shaak sighed, she knew her answer was not satisfying the young girl. Xeraph fired another question, one that was even harder for Shaak to repel.

"Why is attachment banned?" Xeraph asked.

"Some in the council believe that attachment is a path to the dark side. One may join the dark side to save those they love or to avenge them. That is unfortunately the way it has been for a very long time. We are finished for the day Siri. Meditate on what I have told you and come out wiser because of it."

Xeraph bowed. "Yes master." Her conversation with Shaak had left her much to consider. Shaak was not as firm with the code as the 'masters' on the council might think. Xeraph was prepared to exploit to exploit that but it would take a lot of effort and a fair amount of luck.

 **That night**

Jedi knight Kitnandor slipped down the corridors of the Jedi temple. He snuck out of the Jedi temple every night along the same route. Then he used a combination force jumps and careful timing to reach his apartment. It was a two room flat. Two chairs and a table, all of which were second hand, a cooker that was never used, a Holo that was about ten years out of date and a bed for two. It was on this bed that the Jedi waited. It took a few hours until what he was waiting for arrived. As Shaak Ti walked into their apartment she already knew that Kitnandor had arrived.

"Took you long enough. How was your conversation with Siri?" Kitnandor asked.

"Talk later." Shaak replied.

The council meetings had been driving Shaak crazy lately. He would give her some time to unwind and then they would talk. "Sure! I need to unwind as well." Kitnandor said. Shaak nodded in appreciation to her partner.

A few hours later Shaak was completely relaxed. Kitnandor felt like it was time to broach the topic of Siri to Shaak. "Well then, how was your conversation with Siri?"

Shaak scowled at her partner. "It was bad. It was very bad."

"How so?"

"She kept on asking so many difficult questions! How am I meant to tell her that she should follow the code to the letter when I spend almost every night breaking it!" Shaak shouted. "And that's not it. Now all the bloody council can talk about is this dark presence that keep on appearing! Perhaps instead of talking about it they could confront it!" Shaak shouted with rage.

"I understand your feelings. But what can I do about it? I sensed the darkness last night. Even someone as weak in the force as me could tell that it was not good." Kitnandor replied trying not to aggravate his partner further.

"Maybe you could stop being so fucking neutral! Perhaps you could get Siri off my shoulders so I don't have to be a hypocrite every day! Perhaps you could confront the darkness so the council can stop forcing me to stay in their meetings. There are many things you could do for me take your pick."

"Why are you worrying about Siri so much? To my knowledge you have only had one conversation with her." Kitnandor asked still trying to stay neutral in Shaak's violent outbursts.

"Her darkness. She tries to hide it from us but I can see that anyone with even a decent level of manipulation could pull her to the dark side. The last thing we need is another dark Jedi running about."

Kitnandor sighed. Shaak was tired Kitnandor could sense it. "Shaak maybe you should sleep now. I find that a good nights rest can allow you to have a new perspective on things. Shaak grumbled reluctantly but she did as she was asked.

 **The next morning**

Shaak rolled over in bed. Kitnandor rolled over in bed next to her. She could sense him awakening. She had been awake a few hours already and she had a plan. It would hit two birds with one stone: get rid of Siri and give Kitnandor something to do whilst they made some money to leave the order.

"What are you thinking about?" Kitnandor asked.

"I think I may have an idea." Shaak said. "In a week all the Jedi initiates will duel in the courtyard of the temple. Siri is old enough to do so now. When she duels inside the courtyard you will select her as your padawan." Shaak said.

"Hold up! You want me to select Siri as my padawan?! Are you crazy?! If one of the most 'calm' and 'moderate' masters cannot tame her then what hope do you think a radical like me has?! Anyway there is no way the council would approve of me taking a padawan." Kitnandor exclaimed.

"It is because you are so radical that she is more likely to open up to you. She will ask a Jedi like you questions that she would be too afraid to ask a Jedi on the council. That is your unique advantage. Besides since when have you been known to give a crap about what the council thinks?" Shaak stated explaining her logic well.

"That is true but-"

"And I also recall you saying that you would be willing to help me. I know that getting Siri out of the equation would help me greatly." Shaak stated.

At this point Kitnandor simply gave up trying to argue. Despite him being a great military strategist he was no match for his partner in an all out argument. There was no point even trying. "You're a manipulative bastard Shaak Ti and if you were a Sith I would do everything possible to stay out of your way. I'll do it for you but after Siri is knighted we need to talk about the future." Kitnandor stated.

Shaak nodded. Kitnandor was right.

Inside the 500th republican Sidious finished his meditation. He had been eavesdropping on the Jedi couple for a while now and he found their conversation very interesting. Her found it very amusing how they were trying to turn Xeraph from the darkness. They did not realise it was too late to make her a Jedi again. Sidious turned his meditation to Maul; he had already done as he predicted. If Sidious could manipulate Maul correctly he could use him to gain another apprentice. The more sith he had inside the Jedi order the better.

All was going according to plan.

 **A/N Well what did you think? Love it or hate it? Whichever one it was please tell me via PM or review. On the note of reviews I would just like to say that they hugely encourage me to continue writing so if you want faster chapters drop a review. I will try and get the next chapter up ASAP but I make no promises.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Chapter three time! Hope you enjoy.**

Xeraph slipped through the corridors of the Jedi temple. Her master had assigned her another mission. She was to greet her fellow apprentice Darth Maul. Xeraph had no interest in the Zabrack male. As far she was concerned he was a savage beast that would die in due time. But for now she would deliver her masters orders.

Darth Maul zipped up the last socket in his rucksack. He was about to head off to his ship. It had taken him about three days to track down Eldra Kaitis' location. After that he had prepared for his journey to kill her. He needed to prove his worth. He wanted to kill a Jedi. His blood boiled at the very thought of being able to end the life of one of them. After the way they had treated his fellow sith the order deserved to crumble and burn. Just before he climbed into his interceptor he sensed a powerful presence in the dark side approach his location. It was not his master but is was definitely something powerful. Frantically Maul reached for his sabre. Whoever this being was he would confront it.

"Now that is not a way to react to a fellow apprentice." Xeraph stated coldly.

"Who are you Maul roared." Whoever this was there was no way she would be able to defeat him.

"I am Darth Xeraph; second apprentice to Lord Sidious. He has orders for you." Xeraph said unflinchingly.

"A lackey then." Maul said; deliberately trying to provoke the younger sith. Xeraph sensed the insult and her rage flared but she held her temper and delivered her message.

"Lord Sidious has heard of a Jedi Padawan that was captured and is being held for auction. He wants you to capture her and deliver her to lord Sidious with all due haste. He has ordered me to give you this information to help you with your mission." With this Xeraph handed Maul data pad. Maul turned and walked onto his ship not even bothering to acknowledge his fellow apprentice.

As Maul slipped into the controls of his ship he opened up the data pad and quickly flicked through the information. She was aged seventeen; too close to Mauls own age for the sith assassins taste. There was also a picture of her: it depicted a young red Twi'lek blearily stumbling out of a bar in the underworld of Courascant. She was fairly tall and was wearing inappropriate clothing for any Jedi. Following her was a Jedi master. Maul inspected the image seeing if he could discern any more information out of the picture. The only remaining Intel he got was the name of the girl: Eldra Kaitis.

 **The cell of Eldra Kaitis**

Eldra Kaitis paced the floor of her cell worriedly. Her master An'ya Kuro was not the kindest or the easiest of masters but Eldra was certain that the dark woman would come to rescue her. Yet still no rescue had come. The Twi'lek girl had already been beaten multiple times. An'ya had prepared her for such a situation but even the overly harsh methods of her master would not prepare Eldra for the real thing. Apparently she would fetch a good price on the slave market. Apparently many crime lords were looking for a Twi'lek girl of her 'stature.' Being a Jedi only meant that she could be used for other purposes after being 'trained' well enough. Her fate was clouded in darkness she just did not know what kind of darkness. Her master was not coming for her, An'ya would leave it as the will of the force and find another 'difficult' padawan to train.

Eldra did not consider herself a difficult apprentice. She just questioned the Jedi ways. Why were Jedi not allowed attachments? Why was the dark side banned? What is wrong with love? All of those questions were answered poorly and were simply unsatisfactory for the Twi'lek girl. That was why she had been labelled for being 'difficult'. She was not willing to be a perfect extension of the councils will with no soul or mind to make decisions for her.

She knew of her fate. Xev Xeruxus (the man who had organised her capture) had been 'kind' enough to tell her that much. She was to be sold as a slave to the highest bidder. Eldra was not sure if the life of a slave would be enjoyable but she knew it would give her a chance to escape and live life as a free woman.

Looking over her cell Eldra realised for the first time in a while that she had actually been treated quite well. The bed was surprisingly relaxing and she had been given a wide variety of drinks. The only thing she had not been supplied with was food. She was the fed bare minimum sustenance needed to keep her alive. She was allowed to drink as much as she wished and that Eldra did. Most of the time she would normally sleep in heavily but today Eldra sensed something important and decided to drag herself out of bed.

Maul stepped into the cell of Eldra Kaitis, if it could be called that. It was a colossal room with a full drinks stand, a desk and an extremely nice looking bed. Maul then glanced at the cells occupant. She had the same bleary slightly out of focus look that she did in the picture that had been provided for Maul but looking into her eye's it was obvious that there was focus behind them. Maul sniffed the air: the cell smelled of the Courascant underworld. It was obvious that Eldra either did not notice or was indifferent to the god-forsaken stench. The Twi'lek girl was wearing some 'cloths.' They covered barely any skin and did nothing but show off how deathly thin the girl was. Maul had of course seen slave girls starved so they would be more attractive but this was on a completely new level.

"Who are you?" Eldra asked. It was true she had sensed something important due to today but there was something about this tattooed Zabrack that made her nervous. Maul decided not to reply, he would be as cold as possible if he was too ever turn this girl to the dark side. Eldra took Maul's lack of a reply as an opening to ask more questions: "You know, if the Jedi were going to send someone to rescue me I appreciate them not sending my master but it would have been nice too at least to get someone I knew." It was a jab designed to provoke a reply about of Maul. It had been a while since Eldra had been able too pull something like that off without a scowl from her master.

"You are not being rescued." Maul replied.

"Well then can I at least get your name?"

"You may call me Maul." The Zabrack was not sure why he gave this annoying red skinned Twi'lek an answer but he could not take it back.

As this conversation was going on both of them were running through the corridors of the detention department. Maul turned a left and then a right.

"Where are you going?" Eldra shouted. "This leads to a dead end!" Maul did not even bothering answering to Eldra as the two of them ran towards there fate. Just as the 'dead end' came into sight Maul pressed a button on his comm sending the durasteel flying outside into the courtyard. Maul and Eldra used force jumps to launch themselves into the courtyard.

"All part of the plan." Maul said feeling some smugness from putting the arrogant Twi'lek in her place.

"And tell me Maul: was this part of your poorly constructed plan?" Xev Xurexus came out onto his balcony staring down upon the courtyard. He was barely flesh any more. His body was almost completely cybernetic with only his fingers and part of his mouth still having any living resemblance. A vicious looking mask covered his face. As Xev finished saying that about twenty thugs came out of there respective hiding places all of them having blasters fixed on Maul and Eldra. Maul passed Eldra her light sabre and the Twi'lek ignited it. Back to back they stood against the thugs. Xev stared down on the battleground indifferent to the slaughter that was about to take place.

"Oh and one more thing Maul. That pathetic ship of yours is already making great spare parts for my craftsmen." And with that comment the cyborg went back into his chambers.

As soon as there master left the thugs opened fire upon the pair. Back to back Maul and Eldra began deflecting the bolts immediately. Maul's double bladed sabre was wild but covered a lot of ground. Unfortunately for Maul his blaster deflection was less than on point. Eldra deflected one bolt that would have hit Maul in the back of the leg back at the Rhodian who sent it off. Eldra repeated this pattern a couple times until there were only a few thugs left on her side.

With this in mind Eldra rushed the remaining thugs. The first one fell easily. The second one made a pathetic swing with his viroblade Eldra caught his hand and amputated the entire arm. But, just before she could turn to the last thug she was hit in the arm by a blaster bolt. In pain Eldra dropped her sabre but she was equipped with the force as well. Using her weaker arm she pulled the thug towards her and with a Viroblade in her weaker hand Eldra slit his throat. Using the force to guide her Eldra then turned around and threw the knife right into the mouth of the thug that had just been amputated. He stumbled around like a drunken man before finally falling on the floor dead.

Glancing over to Maul for a moment all Eldra could see was the flash of red and the heads of the thugs falling to the floor. She was going to run in and help but before she could even muster the courage to run into that mess of sabre and laser bolt Maul had already finished his brutal work. Before Eldra could even congratulate the Zabrack about the effectiveness of his brutal skill there was a colossal bang! Some of the thugs had gotten onto the roof with a heavy cannon. They had blasted away the weak section of the roof and now the heavy rocks were about to fall on Eldra's head.

Thinking fast Maul caught the falling debris and sent it straight back at the sender. The thugs desperately tried to run away but there was no chance of them escaping. Before Eldra could even thank Maul the sith assassin shouted to Eldra.

"Look up and you will see a ship! You go for it I will cover you." Maul shouted as if he was commanding solders on a battlefield. Eldra nodded deciding it was better to obey Maul's commands. Using force assisted jumps the two of them made there way past a large group of thugs blocking a stairway. Now it was just a straight run into the ship. Behind her Eldra could hear the bone chilling screams of Mauls victims. She continued running towards the ship as the door of it opened. Another thug emerged from the open door way also having a heavy cannon. Eldra knew that she would not be able to deflect the blast so instead she used the force to send it a bit higher resulting in a blaster bolt flying into empty space. Eldra then slashed the cannon in half, decapitated the operator and sent the remaining pieces into anyone who might have pursued her.

The first part did manage that effectively sending three thugs flying off the roof but the second part instead bashed Maul on his shoulder. Maul growled in pain but decided not to make a scene of it. it is quite hard to shout down someone when you are being hotly pursued. Eldra decided to make herself scarce by starting up the ship. As soon as Maul jumped into the ship Eldra closed the door and the pair were on their way.

Eldra expected Maul to be angry, after all who wouldn't? But she was not quite prepared for the scale of his anger.

"Give the controls." It was an order not a question.

"Why should I? You really want to swap before going into hyperspace? You know: the republic is fining people for doing that now. Do you have enough credits to pay if we get pulled over?" It was another provocative question from the Twi'lek.

"Just give me the controls." There was an edge to Mauls voice and Eldra knew she was pushing him to the limit but despite that she still could not resist one final jab.

"Okay curly horns. You want me to make you a cup of Caff whilst I am at it?" It was another provocative question. Eldra knew that Maul was dangerous but she also knew that Maul wanted her alive. As long as she did not attack him he could not kill her. Maul turned to Eldra with venom in his eyes. They had a stand off for about ten seconds before Maul finally gave in and took control of the ship. Eldra walked out already planning what to do next.

 **The Jedi temple**

"And that concludes my report." An'ya stated. The strict Jedi master stood in the centre of the council chamber waiting to be acknowledged by the masters on the council. On the other side of the door Xeraph waited for An'ya to be acknowledged by the masters. She had been assigned by the Jedi to act as a guard in front of the council chamber. A pathetically boring task that Xeraph always despised. After getting over the childish bliss of being in the most 'important' part of the Jedi temple it was nothing of interest. In truth it was just a way to make young Jedi feel important so they would not leave the order in future. Whilst Xeraph would normally use these periods of time to plot on the most effective methods to kill Jedi; this time she could actually do something more productive.

Her master had given Xeraph a comm that was able to record conversations from over one hundred feet away. Whilst Xeraph originally believed that it would be a useless piece of junk but it was coming in handy now. Xeraph then continued her eavesdropping.

" _To confirm, master An'ya. Are you suggesting that we do not rescue your wayward apprentice?" It was Shaak Ti who spoke out._

 _"Precisely master Ti. The girl has had many moments of misconduct that should have already stripped her of her rank in the Jedi order." An'ya replied hardly containing the disgust she held for her apprentice._

 _"She was… intoxicated." Shaak said slowly._

 _"Since when has being intoxicated been common place for Jedi Padawan? Since when has that been an excuse for breaking the Jedi code?" An'ya replied. Shaak flinched. Unknowingly An'ya had struck a nerve. Almost immediately the Togruta master withdrew from the debate._

Xeraph sighed as she switched off her comm. She was going to get no more decent information out of the council tonight. Xeraph expanded her reach of the force seeing if she could notice anything useful. She noticed something that would not be considered useful to the sith but would certainly be useful to Xeraph. A turbo-lift took a young Jedi to the council tower. The doors of the Turbo lift opened and Obi Wan Kenobi stepped out.

 **Xev Xeruxus' ship**

Maul had finished a mission report and sent it to his master. He had set the ships autopilot to his master's base on Mustafa. He had been given orders to use the luxury facilities of Xeruxus' ship. There was no reason for him to not go into the lounge. Yet Maul wanted to avoid Eldra for as long as possible. She made him feel something that Maul had never felt before and the sith was desperate to squash it before it took hold of him.

Finally mustering up calmness Maul entered the lounge of the ship. Luckily for Maul, Eldra was already half asleep on the sofa. Maul approached the Twi'lek. Eldra turned to him her eyes tightly shut.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Eldra shouted in her sleep. Maul was not sure how to reply. "I said what the fuck do you think your doing?" But it was obvious that Eldra was enjoying herself now. She was rolling madly on the sofa, for the first time in his life Maul was lost for words. As Eldra continued to manically role around her blanket fell to the floor. Maul was not sure why he placed it back on the girl's shoulders. Maul tried to convince himself that it was so that Eldra would not wake up and harass him more but deep down inside it was something more than that…

 **A/N Well what did you think? Sorry this took so long to get out. I have been extremely lazy recently and there was a huge lack of focus for this chapter until a few days a go. Reviews are as always appreciated and loved** **J**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Lets see how long this one takes to get out. Hope you enjoy!**

Obi-Wan stared straight at Xeraph. Xeraph stared straight back. The silence between the two only created more tension between the two. Xeraph broke the ice

"If you are here to replace me my shift does not end for another hour. If you are here to report to the council then you may be turned away. They are currently debating. Obi-Wan flinched. In a sense the fact that Siri did not even to bother recognise him as a friend or even an acquaintance hurt far more than any slander she could have thrown at him. Xeraph continued menacingly:

"If you are here to socialise I suggest you go and boil your head. A cannot do it for you whilst I am on duty." Obi-Wan shifted nervously. It was obvious that this confrontation was clearly the last thing Obi-Wan wanted. Xeraph was satisfied with that. Let the scumbag squirm all he liked. It would not change a thing when the boot of the dark side finally fell.

Obi Wan finally got his words together and stated his reason for being in the location: "I have been told to give a report to the council. " the Jedi initiative said. Xeraph was frustrated that she could not turn Kenobi away but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Very well. You may enter" Xeraph said opening the door. Obi-Wan gratefully stepped inside the stuffy council chamber happily trading its stern masters for the spite of Siri.

Obi-Wan stepped bravely into the council chamber. It was obvious that Obi-Wan had entered at a bad moment. The council was still tense after what was obviously a heated debate but they halted when Obi-Wan entered to prevent the un-unified nature of the council becoming common knowledge in the temple.

"What do you want Kenobi?" Mace Windu asked.

"I have the list of the knights observing the tournament tomorrow looking for a Padawan." Kenobi said handing the data-pad to Windu. Windu scanned the list and frowned.

"Thank you Kenobi. You may leave." Mace instructed. Obi-Wan bowed and left the council chamber. Before he could escape to the Turbo lift Xeraph threw one last remark at Obi-Wan:

'Hope you have some spare bacta patches for tomorrow. You're going to need them." Xeraph taunted. Obi-Wan flinched recognising what the taunt meant.

Mace Windu rescanned the list of Jedi wanting to have a Padawan learner.

"Why has knight Kitnandor applied for a Padawan?" Windu asked to the council. There was silence in the chamber.

"Shed some light on this Master Ti can?" Yoda said easily noticing the change in Shaak's body language with the mention of Kitnandor.

"That I can master. I have persuaded Kitnandor to take up a Padawan learner. It is my belief that he needs change of pace from mopping around the temple."

"After his pathetic display on Felucia do you truly believe that he is ready for a Padawan?" Mace asked already making his opinion clear.

"I know him better than any one here. It is almost impossible to describe but the vibrant energy that he would use to carry himself through any mission simply vanished after Felucia. He had lost the pride and self confidence that has defined his personality for so long." Shaak passionately stated.

"Some would say that was good thing." Mace muttered. "Besides, what good will giving him a Padawan do?"

"I believe him training a Padawan will give him a new purpose in life. I believe that Kitnandor could apply his methods that have allowed him to be extremely versatile in the past to an apprentice who could benefit from his way of the force."

"Why really do you want this to happen master Ti?" It was Yoda who cut through the arguments of the two masters. Shaak Ti hesitated before finally deciding that speaking from the heart would be the best way to go.

"I want him back master. He has always been a very close friend to me and seeing him in the state he is makes me want to help him in any way possible. I think this is truly the best thing for him." Shaak Ti said. Yoda frowned; it was clear that he knew Shaak Ti had another motive but instead of pressing the issue Yoda decided to speak his mind.

"Accept this proposal I see no reason why we should not. We have more of a reason to deny Jedi Padawan's in the past and have chosen to not. Do us some good as well, perhaps this can." Yoda said.

"Thank you master." Shaak Ti said. With the final debate of the day over the Jedi masters filled out of the chamber past Xeraph. Shaak Ti did not get in the Turbo lift with the rest of the masters so she instead had to wait with Xeraph for the next one. Shaak Ti turned very suddenly to Xeraph and said:

"Siri Tachi. Whilst I applaud your curiosity I doubt other masters would approve as I do. I would suggest you refrain from eavesdropping in the future." And with that Shaak Ti strode into the now empty Turbo lift.

 **The youngling tournament (the next day)**

Xeraph had found the day boring. Every duel she had fought in was easy. Either the youngling was so weak that all Xeraph had to do was launch a force push and they would topple over or the youngling could barely defend against her vicious Ataru strikes. There was only one Jedi that she had not toppled yet…

Obi–Wan was terrified. He had never experienced true fear before but this was getting pretty close. Siri's comment yesterday was unnerving to say the least. And after seeing the way she demolished all her opponents Kenobi did not hold out much hope for how well he would do against her. She was approaching him now. Light sabre drawn; ready to duel. Obi-Wan drew his sabre. He doubted he had much of a chance against Siri's aggressive style but he had one trick up his sleeve…

The Jedi and the sith circled each other trying to figure expose any possible weakness. Predictably Xeraph struck first going with a feint to Kenobi's left and then following up with a spin and a diagonal slash right for Kenobi's shoulder. Annoyingly the coward just dodged. No mater how aggressive her strikes were it was impossible to break Obi-Wan's rhythm of parrying and dodging. Xeraph launched a clumsy force push attempting to break Obi-Wan but instead of blocking it Obi-Wan simply removed it of its energy making it no more harmful than a pleasant breeze.

"What's wrong coward? Afraid that you're not strong enough! Don't worry I'm sure that whichever fool picking you as a Padawan will not care about how weak you are!" Xeraph taunted. Obi-Wan merely smiled and kept up with his parrying. Now Xeraph was really pissed! Her strikes and force pushes grew ever more aggressive as Kenobi kept on sliding out of the way like nobodies business. Xeraph wanted to blast that smug smile off his face with force lightning but that would have been the same as walking into the Jedi temple screaming death to all Jedi.

Obi-Wan was exhausted. He had spent the past fifteen minutes evading every attack Siri could throw at him and it was exhausting. She was angry with him. That much was obvious. But her rage was her undoing. Siri launched another vicious set of strikes and this time Obi-Wan found an opening. He moved under Siri's blade and bashed her arm against a near by pillar, as he did this there was a great rush of darkness unlike anything Obi-Wan had ever experienced. In shock he fell to the floor as Siri re-drew her sabre. Her eyes were menacing and Obi-Wan knew that whilst he may not suffer a tragic 'accident' whatever Siri had in mind was not going to be pleasant. Unless, as Siri lowered her blade to Obi-Wan's neck to end the duel Obi-Wan used the force to send a rock on Siri's sabre hand disarming her. Then he used the force to grab his light sabre and swung it against Siri's neck finally ending the duel.

Around them the younglings and the knights observing began to clap. Xeraph was infuriated. They dared applaud Obi-Wan for his cheap tricks! Now all the Jedi younglings had to do was wait. Wait for a master to choose them or in Xeraph's case, wallow in bitterness. She heard someone approach her:

"Siri Tachi?" The Jedi asked. Xeraph glanced up and saw Kitnandor staring down on her.

"Fuck off." Xeraph replied not in the mood for any communication.

"That is no way to treat your Jedi master." Kitnandor replied. Xeraph glanced up sharply trying to figure out what Kitnandor meant. "Yes I am your master now."

Kitnandor said predicting what Xeraph's next question would be. "I expect you to be at training room five at 0600 sharp tomorrow morning. Do not be late." With that the Jedi turned away; as he was walking he made eye contact with Shaak Ti.

 _"Good luck."_ Shaak said through their mental bond.

 _"I will try not to let you down."_ Kitnandor replied as he broke the connection. Shaak sighed. Kitnandor was not a failure and despite what the council said was a good Jedi. The sooner he realised that the sooner he would get over his mistakes and the sooner he would realise what he wanted.

 **Sidious' base (Mustafa)**

Maul half led half dragged the groggy Eldra through the corridors. She had just been rudely awakened by Maul to meet with Sidious. If Maul had not been trained from a young age he would have thought that the Twi'lek was drunk or at least suffering from a large hangover but it was obvious that Eldra was neither. If it were a combination of her force sensitivity of just pure experience, Maul still did not know.

What he did know is that Eldra enjoyed drink, a lot. On there second night on the ship of Xev Xeruxus Eldra had challenged Maul to a drinking contest. Not wanting to be shown up Maul accepted and was shown up, badly. He woke up the next morning with a head splitting headache and was stumbling around like a drunken man. When he looked in the cockpit to see if anyone was driving the ship he just found Eldra driving the ship as if nothing had happened last night. Maul had a hard time believing that Eldra had consumed three times as many units as him.

The next day Maul had to wake up Eldra in the early morning due to the ship running into an asteroid field. Maul was greeted with a middle finger and what was almost a light sabre duel before the pair of them came to their senses. Maul was confident that he could beat Eldra but he was not confident that the ship would remain in tact at the end of the duel. As it turned out Eldra was not suffering from a hangover; she was just not very responsive to being woken up in the early morning. Looking back it was a wonder that Maul did not need to drag her out this morning to meet with Sidious.

Sidious paced his chamber silently. When Eldra and Maul entered Maul knelt before his sith master. Eldra remained defiantly stood. Sidious stared Eldra up and down trying to gauge the Twi'lek. She was in her late teens, had a strong body structure and sharp mindful eyes. Sidious had decided that he had made a good choice for his next apprentice. Now it was time to begin her turning:

"Eldra Kaitis it is a pleasure to meet you at last." Sidious stated already assuming his 'caring uncle aroma' "But where are my manners? Let me introduce myself: I am Darth Sidious."

"I would say it is an honour but I don't even know who you are so I think I will hold my tongue." Eldra said. As with Maul she wanted to see how far she could push Sidious.

"So tell me Eldra: why do you serve the Jedi?" Sidious asked ignoring the insult Eldra shot at him.

"So tell me Sidious: why are you trying to turn me to the dark side?" It was a simple question but it made it obvious that Eldra was a sharp thinker; all the more reason to have her as an apprentice.

"Why would I not? You are easily one of the more talented Jedi of your generation and the Jedi order have made their disdain clear for you. It is obvious to me that your previous master did not recognise your talent at all and the council were not much better." Sidious said painting a cruel but true situation of Eldra's position in the order.

Eldra was in taking all of the information Sidious was providing her at rapid speed. Although, he may have exaggerated some aspects of it Eldra knew that Sidious was not wrong.

 **"** So Eldra: would you like to join the sith?" Sidious asked holding out his hand. Eldra hesitated as Sidious expected which allowed Sidious to pull his ace card. "I completely understand your hesitation Eldra. The Jedi have raised you after all and after the way your master has abandoned you I appreciate that you probably want to have time to adapt and re-think your position."

"My maters abandoned me?" Eldra was cautiously curious.

"You did not know?" Sidious asked. "Oh you poor girl. If you do not want to know I would not blame you." It was perfectly calculated. Sidious knew that Eldra would want to know and he played on it perfectly.

"You can't just drop a bombshell like that and not give me the proof! Show me!" Eldra shouted momentarily forgetting her place.

"As you wish." Sidious replied allowing Eldra to listen to the recording the Xeraph had sent Sidious earlier. Eldra listened through twice. Accepting the truth was a bitter mixture to swallow but it was a mixture that Eldra expected to swallow as well. She knew deep down inside that her master despised her. She knew deep down inside that given a choice she would be abandoned by her master. And now she knew deep down inside what she had to do next:

"Yes" It was a simple word but it was one that had many implications. Ones that not even the foresight of Sidious could predict. Far reaching effects that could change the future of the galaxy. Little did Eldra and Sidious know that the one pathetic word spoken out of one person's lips would hand the galaxy decades of suffering.

"Are you sure?" Sidious asked already knowing the answer.

"Of course I am sure! I never liked the Jedi anyway…" it was true. "So do I get a fancy name or what?" Eldra asked.

"You will receive a 'fancy name' once I believe you have truly touched the dark side. Until then you will train with Maul and complete missions with him." Sidious said. "And Eldra: from now and on you will address me as master."

Eldra bowed already realising that it would be futile to try and taunt Sidious.

"As you wish master." It still had a slight mocking tone to it but Sidious knew he could erode that away with time…

 **A/N Happy New Year (if you celebrate that)! I hope everyone has had a great time in this holiday season whilst I start the year the right way. And that way is with a new chapter! My resolution this year is to upload faster and I think so far I am actually keeping it! As always please feel free to tell me what you think of the story. I am always open to feedback (whether it is positive or negative). But for now if you excuse me, I need to go off and have the last slice of Christmas cake!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N here it comes. I have had this chapter stewing for a while in my head. Hope you enjoy!**

Sweat began to slowly trickle down Eldra's forhead. Once again Maul was demolishing her defensive like they were nothing. When she signed up to be a Sith she knew that it was not going to be easy but Maul was pulling no punches whatsoever.

"You are to defensive. Fight me like you mean it!" Maul shouted. Eldra nodded in reply focusing more on trying to evade each and every one of Maul's strikes. All of a sudden, Maul brought his sabre crashing down on Eldra's head in a brutal two-handed blow. Eldra tried to block but she could not grip her hilt properly so Maul swept her sabre aside.

"And there lies your weakness. You keep on dodging and ducking and when you make a stand you find yourself to weak to do so." What Maul said was right on every level and they both knew it.

"As you say curly horns." Eldra replied wearily. Maul frowned. Despite a few days of consistent training with Eldra it was obvious to Maul that she was not quite nailing her combat. The Zabrack was also meant to do some meditating with Eldra but he had deliberately side lined that due to his own problems with that exercise.

Eldra leaned against the wall trying to regain her breath. Out of nowhere Maul's comm began to beep.

 _"Maul. Lord Sidious has instructed you to monitor the trade federation. They seem to have ran into some difficulties."_ The voice on the other end of the line was not Sidious'; unless Sidious had somehow possessed a woman. _"I have sent you a file with the mission details on it."_ the voice continued.

After the voice finished it's sentence Maul growled in annoyance. He hated the smirk that Xeraph seemed to have had drawn on her face for the shear fun of annoying Maul.

"My master has given me a mission. I would strongly advise you to not leave the building." Maul said.

"You can rely on me curly horns." Eldra replied.

 **Meanwhile on Coruscant**

Sidious had finally finished his morning meeting. It had dragged on forever, as the fools around him seemed to never end in asking him for support in the upcoming sessions of the senate. Sidious knew that he had to keep up this friendly façade to complete the grand plan but it was tedious to say the least.

Extending his senses Sidious began to home in on each of his apprentices. Xeraph was making her way through the Jedi temple. She was taking to the dark side very well. It was only a few weeks after her fall and already she had advanced exceptionally quickly. But her failure against Kenobi still left much to be desired.

Maul was already heading for those bumbling fools in the trade federation. How they had managed to get outmatched by pirates was beyond even Sidious' scope of knowledge but he knew that Maul would finish his job as he normally did.

Then there was Eldra… Sidious was surprised at how easily she had turned. But something was odd about her. Sidious did not truly consider her a loyal Sith yet but that would come with time. For now Sidious would give her some personal tutoring. Overall his Sith order was flourishing quite nicely. Of course their were still certain places he wanted to be filled. Dooku was prime for the turning and there was doubtlessly some bitter Jedi in the Agri Corps who would be easy to turn.

For now though, Sidious needed to turn his attention to Eldra Kaitis. But that would have to wait until this meeting could finally end.

 **The Jedi temple**

Kitnandor was waiting for his tardy Padawan. He had been waiting for about 20 minutes. She was late but the knight could finally feel her force presence approaching the training room. As Xeraph finally entered it was obvious that she did not care at all about being late.

"Your late." Kitnandor said.

"Honestly I don't care." Xeraph replied. "Let's just get started." Her tone of voice asked the exact opposite. Kitnandor sighed. If Siri was going to make his life hard he would do the same for her.

"Very well. I want you to move this stone slab from one side of the room to the other only using the force." Kitnandor instructed. He had originally planned to save that task for later but he wanted to prove a point. The stone slab in question was about ten meters cubed of solid rock. It would take multiple construction machines to move it.

Xeraph frowned at this instruction. She knew that her 'master' intended for it to be impossible. Then he would use her failure as a lesson. It was painfully simple but Xeraph intended to undermine him. She would move it and laugh in his shocked face. Harnessing the dark side (behind very firm shields) and the force in general Xeraph prepared to move the slab. Even with all of her power she could barely move it. She scowled at her 'master.' Whatever BS he had in store better be good.

"The task you have given me is impossible! I cannot move that! I am not powerful enough!" Xeraph shouted.

Kitnandor smiled in reply and closed his eyes. Lifting up one hand he gradually lifted the slab up and carefully moved it to the other side of the room. After he was done sweat was pouring down his forehead.

"Your medichlorian count is twice that of mine. Yet I can move the slab easily. Why?" Kitnandor asked.

"Well how the fuck am I meant to know?" Xeraph asked. "You're meant to be teaching me!"

"Perhaps a different approach is necessary." Kitnandor stated obviously having planned this beforehand. He raised his hand again this time lifting a tiny rock onto a pedestal.

"Now knock this over." Xeraph nodded. She wouldn't just knock this over. She would smash into a million pieces. It would be good for her to take her rage out on something.

"But there is a catch. I want you to do this using little to no force energy whatsoever." Kitnandor said clarifying on how much energy he wanted through the force. Xeraph was growing increasingly annoyed. The arrogant Jedi had given her another impossible task. She tried playing by his rules and failed again miserably. Kitnandor noticed this failure and spoke again:

"Until you are able to solve this lesson we will not advance any further with your force skills." Kitnandor instructed. "Now I want to test your abilities with a sabre."

Xeraph grinned. Finally something she was good at. Xeraph drew out her sabre and lighted it immediately moving into to vicious Ataru attacks that had allowed her to dominate tournaments so easily.

Kitnandor drew his own sabre. It had a longer hilt designed to be held with two hands. An emerald green blade emerged from it and Kitnandor began moving into Djem So using his longer hilt to capitalise on two-handed blows. About half way through the duel Kitnandor began to slowly shift into Niman. Gradually balancing out his attack and defence allowing Xeraph's deadly purple sabre to dominate the duel.

Xeraph was certain she was doing well. Although, they had been evenly matched at first but now it was clear that Kitnandor was not very good at defending against Ataru in form V. That was probably the reason why he had moved to Niman. He could still maintain an offensive presence whilst defending more effectively. Or so she thought…

After switching into Niman Kitnandor knew that Siri felt like she was in an advantageous position. And in a sense she was right. He had been driven off the offensive and was now fighting more defensively but as well as being an incredibly balanced form Niman also allowed one to seamlessly transfer from one form to another. That was what Kitnandor intended to do now. He shifted the grip on his sabre and ignited the second blade on his light sabre, already moving into the aggressive attack patterns associated with Juyo.

Almost immediately Xeraph began to cave under the brutal assault of attacks. Every time she even moved her 'masters' double bladed sabre would stop her dead in her tracks. It was impossible to press the offensive because he was forcing Xeraph to be defensive.

After a while it seemed that Xeraph had stabilised the situation. She was still losing but she was not on her last legs any more. Suddenly Kitnandor swung his sabre across the floor forcing Xeraph to jump in the air. Then Kitnandor used the force to press Xeraph down back to the floor. Being in the air Xeraph could not counter then Kitnandor swung one end of his sabre right in between Xeraph's legs.

"You do realise that if this were a real duel I would have sliced you in half?" Kitnandor asked mockingly. "I think we need to work on your sabre skills." He continued. Xeraph growled in frustration like a feral beast. She would enjoy killing this Jedi. She would love it.

 **Mustafar**

Sidious landed his shuttle on his base intending to confront Eldra. He wanted to figure this girl out. The sooner she held any loyalty towards the Sith the better. For now she was just a loose end that needed to be tied up. He could already sense her force presence desperately scrambling into a position that made her look like she was doing something productive. He marched into the base and right on cue Eldra appeared. She was now wearing a change of cloths with a darker colour scheme to match that of the Sith and also had a sabre on her belt. Eldra's red skin and black clothing (as well as the general look of the cloths) gave her an extremely seductive look about her.

"Master. What brings you here?" Eldra asked bowing low.

"I have come here to train you." Sidious replied satisfied that Eldra had learned her place. "But of course first I would like a drink." Sidious said with a malicious grin. Eldra flinched.

"Of course master. This way." Sidious opened up the iced cabinet of alcohol and took out the first can he saw. He drank deeply and then said to Eldra:

"A bit more watery than I remember. It would be good if you could make sure that all of our sustenance here remains top quality." Sidious said. They both knew what had happened and they both decided to ignore it.

"I want to see your sabre skills in action." Sidious said drawing out his own sabre. Eldra nodded and drew her own blue sabre. Almost immediately Sidious began to run through each of the forms and analyse Eldra's own form. She used Soresu incredibly well for her age but was still no match for the Sith's power. She could hold her own against all forms Sidious threw at her but was particularly strong against Djem So and Juyo. The former was probably because that was the form that An'ya Kuro used and the latter was due to Eldra duelling Maul. It was still impressive that she could hold Juyo in a sense though.

Wanting to begin a lesson Sidious disarmed Eldra and began lecturing her.

"Your Soresu is strong. It is good by even the standard of most Jedi knights. You know no other forms though. I will change that." Sidious stated. He then began running through the basics of Djem So with Eldra. It was a good form for her. It allowed her to learn two-handed blows, two-handed blocks and also was a good form for Sith to learn in general.

The remainder of Sabre training went without a real event. Eldra picked up Djem So at a rapid pace. But something was missing from her duels. Sidious wanted to know what that was so he decided to begin with some Sith meditating.

Now he had found Eldra's weakness. She despised meditating in all shapes and forms. She simply lacked the focus to clear her mind for Jedi meditating and the emotions for Sith meditating.

"Focus on your anger. Let it fill you to the rim. Let it burn through your body. Use those emotions to power yourself!" Sidious ordered.

"I'm trying." Eldra muttered. She thought Jedi meditation was bad but this was on a whole new level. To put it bluntly she just did not have the anger to perform what Sidious wished of her. Sidious was getting increasingly frustrated. He needed something to anger the girl! There was nothing for her rage to consume her. But he was simply unable to give it to her. Until she could find some kind of rage for the girl or another form of loyalty for the Sith he would have to keep her on Mustafar.

"We are finished for the day. Amuse yourself in whatever way you see fit." Sidious growled his tone of voice meaning the exact opposite. Eldra nodded.

"Yes master." With that Sidious marched back into his shuttle already trying to hide his rage at Eldra's failures.

 **Mustafar (the next day)**

Maul and Eldra were training again. Eldra was better this time. The Djem So she had learned from the previous day as well as the general experience of fighting with Sidious was huge boon to her.

Despite all of their false presentences the pair of them did enjoy each other's company. Maul liked to deny it but Eldra had a sneaking suspicion that he actually was getting rather fond of being called 'curly horns.' Suddenly Maul stopped fighting Eldra mid swing and turned his head towards the landing pad. He sniffed the air like a bloodhound and turned to Eldra.

"There are intruders at the door. I will deal with them. You will remain here." Maul instructed. Eldra also extended her senses. Their were about twenty in total an one was definitely force sensitive. As Eldra expended her senses further she noticed odd gaps in the force. Deciding to investigate this Eldra moved towards the conference room of Sidious' base.

As she opened another door she came onto a 'balcony' overlooking a colossal lava river. Using the force Eldra noticed the gaps in the force again. They were converging on Maul! Climbing onto the roof Eldra finally saw something with her own eyes. It was a small group of thugs with sniper rifles. Then Eldra saw what was blocking out the force. It was a Ysalamiri! In one of the few lessons Eldra had actually paid attention to she had been taught that Ysalamiri was a creature that could block out the force in a certain radius. One of the thugs had the creature in a cage and was carrying it around in order to avoid detection from Maul. It was a clever plan really. Force Maul out into the open and then sneak a sniper around him to shoot him in the back.

Eldra picked up a heavy stone, weighed it in her hands and then used the force to launch it at the Ysalamiri. The stone killed it instantly and the thugs looked around nervously realising something was wrong. Eldra fell on them like a Sith. Without any melee weapons of significance the thugs were quickly dispatched.

All of a sudden Eldra heard the force scream a warning. She ran towards the entrance of Sidious' base. Maul was duelling Aura Sing. Maul was beating this dark Jedi easily but every time he pressed her on her back foot one of the thugs surrounding him would shoot a blaster bolt at Maul forcing him back on the defensive. Looking up on a hill Eldra could see another group of thugs aiming sniper shots at Maul.

Using great force assisted leaps Eldra deflected the deadly blaster bolts back at their senders standing back to back with Maul.

"I told you to stay inside!" Maul growled.

"Did you even read my file? I rarely take orders." Eldra said grinning. Maul growled but continued his duel. Aura now seeing that she was not having much luck today shouted to her thugs.

"Keep the Zabrack pinned. I will deal with the Twi'lek." The thugs followed their mistress's orders.

Eldra began to be drawn into a duel with Aura. They were fairly evenly matched both using the brutal Mustafarian terrain to their advantage. Eldra was glad that Sidious taught her some Djem So. She was going to need it. Aura was a weak duellist using her blasters to buy time and only preventing Eldra from going on the offensive.

Using a force assisted leap Aura launched herself up to a stack of coal staring down at Eldra. Her eyes were cocky. They were the eyes of someone who knew they won. Or so they thought. Using the force Eldra shifted the entire stack-crushing Aura under the pure weight of the stones. Somehow miraculously Aura was still breathing under the coal. Eldra drew her sabre and walked deliberately slowly to Aura.

This went against everything she had been taught as Jedi. But Eldra was no longer a Jedi; her master had made that perfectly clear. Let the Jedi believe that she was useless or weak; it would be there loss when she annihilated them. She did not hear Aura's begs for mercy. But she did hear the shrill scream as her head fell off her estranged neck.

Eldra sensed Maul behind her. Maul sensed Eldra's victory. They sensed each other. Maul realised now would be the first opportunity he would have to fulfil Sidious' orders. He remembered the words of his master: _"Be weary to not grow attached. Other wise there will be dire consequences. But for now we must guaranty her loyalty to our order._

Sidious continued his meditation on Coruscant. In his training session with Eldra he had formed a small bond with her. It was not much but it was enough to sense her general feelings. From her history Sidious was right in guessing that the girl enjoyed the temptations of the flesh. Despite his warnings to Maul it was obvious that the Zabrack did also not hate his time. He had secured Eldra's loyalty for now but the method he had used was liable to failure. It was vital that he found another way to secure her loyalty but for now a 'relationship' with Maul would be the best method.

 **A/N I was really conflicted about that last part with Maul and Eldra. I was originally going to write it but I realised I would have to turn up the rating which I do not want to do. There will be some more Xeraph and Sidious next chapter. Please tell me your thoughts in a review or a PM!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Here it comes! Hope you enjoy!**

Xeraph slipped out of the Jedi temple the normal way. She could have sworn that the Jedi left this route open deliberately just so members of the order could slip out at night if they wanted. Whatever the reason was for this routes continued existence it suited Xeraph rather nicely.

She was moving to meet with her master. After the recent deaths of the Jedi he had to move their meeting spot. It meant that Xeraph had to instead take another route.

The journey was relatively uneventful apart from one beggar Xeraph killed for the shear fun of it. She needed to burn off some steam after being humiliated by Kitnandor. How the fuck was she meant to move a stone with the amount of force energy that she would use to move a speck of dust.

It seemed that ranting in such a way seemed to remove boredom that is produced by such long walks.

Xeraph arrived at her masters feet and bowed as was expected for a Sith apprentice.

Her master's rage was terrifying. It was an endless black sea of pure power. Xeraph was terrified. When he turned around to acknowledge her his eyes burned with inhuman fury.

"Of all the weak pathetic things you could have done you lost to Kenobi! You foolish weak girl!" Sidious shouted. Then for good measure he blasted her with huge bolts of force lightning. All Xeraph could do was resist the unbearable pain.

"Forgive me master." Xeraph said bowing again for good measure.

"Do not ask for forgiveness. Earn it girl! Besides I already know why you lost to Kenobi." Sidious hissed. Xeraph glanced up sharply. "You love him still. The weak love of Siri Tachi has carried over to Xeraph. How pathetic. After the way he treated you the fact that there is still part of Siri Tachi fighting to adore that pathetic boy is terrifying." Sidious stopped his rain of lightning and used the force placing Xeraph in a sitting position.

"Meditate on your anger. Let it fill you up. Let it consume you. You have no reason to love Kenobi. He betrayed you. He humiliated you. He made you look weak. You have no reason to love him." Sidious hissed literally placing emotions in his apprentice's head.

"Focus your rage. Let it boil. And now unleash it!" Sidious roared. As he said it Xeraph let out a great shout sending out huge waves of the force smashing down some of the solid walls near by and causing multiple cracks in the floor.

It was that moment that the last part of Siri Tachi died.

"You see what you can do when you focus your anger? You gain more power! Power that you can use to crush your enemies!" Sidious mentored. "Again!" He snapped.

Xeraph complied happily. It would be brilliant to wield that tremendous power again. Even for just a second. She continued drilling for about seven hours with Sidious watching like a hawk. At the end of it any love Xeraph may have had for Kenobi was replaced with pure hatred. Before Xeraph's eyes had been yellow but there was something dull about the colour. Now her eyes were light two torches in the darkness blazing out similar to Sidious'.

"My master. I must leave to the Jedi temple. It would be unfortunate if my Jedi 'master' caught me out of bed." Xeraph stated again.

"Of course. Do not ruin your cover." Sidious hissed. "Remember to focus your power even when inside the Jedi temple. Soon you will find yourself doing feats you previously thought impossible."

"Of course master." Xeraph bowed again before leaving the now ruined area.

 **The Jedi Temple**

Xeraph slipped back into the temple the normal way. She was just walking back to her room when she was halted.

"Siri! What the hell are you doing here?" Shaak Ti asked. Xeraph turned around to see the two Jedi walking down the same corridor.

"Forgive me master. I wanted to have a walk to clear my head." Xeraph said desperately hoping that her story would be convincing enough for the member of the council.

"No you were not. You deliberately left the temple at night." Shaak Ti said. "But I think it would prudent if this was a warning for you. If I catch you in the corridors at night again there will be dire consequences for you." Shaak said sternly.

"Yes master." Xeraph replied gracing Shaak with a small bow. She was one of the few Jedi that Xeraph actually had an ounce of respect for.

"How is your training with Kitnandor going?" Shaak asked trying to probe Xeraph.

"Shit. He gives me impossible tasks! How am I meant to move a massive stone slab ten times my own size? How am I meant to move a pebble with barely an inch of force strength?" Xeraph shouted not letting back anything about her frustrations with Kitnandor. Shaak Ti laughed in reply.

"Oh Siri. It is his way of teaching you a technique that he taught himself. The only advice I would give you is to focus the force. Then you will be able to use it more efficiently and with less strain on yourself." Shaak said.

"Yes master." Xeraph said.

After slipping into her quarters Xeraph meditated. Not the weak 'comforting' meditation of the Jedi or the hugely powerful but exhausting mediation of the Sith; something in between. She was thinking of Shaak Ti's words and Sidious'. Sidious had told her to focus her anger to gain more power whilst Shaak Ti had told her to focus the force. In a sense they were two sides of the same coin. If Xeraph could focus her anger to increase her power and focus the force to make it more efficient what would happen when she combined the two? It may give her and edge over Sidious and others of equal or more power in sabre duels. No matter what it was worth looking into…

 **Mustafar**

Eldra and Maul eyed each other carefully each trying to predict the others move. After killing Aura Sing Eldra had became sharper in her bouts with Maul but that was still not enough to match the raw skill of Maul.

"Your Djem So is passable. Your Soresu is decent. Your power with the dark side is pathetic." Maul said moving in to disarm Maul.

"How about my skill in bed?" Eldra flirted. Maul turned back to her sharply with malice in his eyes. "Oh come on. Are you going to tell me you didn't enjoy it?"

"I am a Sith. I should not take pleasure in such trivial things!" Maul said

"As you say Maul. But you always perform better the second time round." Eldra said now teasing Maul. He had been taught in the ways of the dark side but he had never even been tutored in how to deal with annoyingly cocky Twi'lek girls who seemed to know exactly how to push his buttons. Furious at his lack of abilities to have any decent comeback against Eldra's flirts he stormed out of the training room.

"So my room at 20:00 then?" Eldra shouted as Maul left the room. Maul merely growled in response.

Striding into a dark circular chamber Maul switched on the Comm calling his master. Sidious' intimidating figure appeared in the room and Maul bowed as was expected of him.

"Ah Maul. I was just about to contact you. Tell me: how fairs your progress with Eldra?" Sidious asked. Maul let loose something that was a cross between a growl and a laugh.

"Did you have to pick such an annoying bitch as your next apprentice master? She is irresponsible, aggravating and seems to take pleasure in provoking those around her. She also is trying to have a repeat of last night." Maul reported not holding back his anger at the situation.

"That is good my apprentice. She has a reason to stay with the Sith now. It may be a weak one but it can be developed." Maul could barely contain his anger. His master was forcing him to fuck a Twi'lek every night just to keep her loyal to the Sith. If that was so then Maul wanted answers.

"Why her? Why do you want this Jedi in your new order?" Maul asked. Sidious turned to Maul his eyes burning with rage.

"It is not your place to ask that! But considering that you did ask I do not believe it is harmful to your mission to know. I sense that whilst she may not be the most exemplary Sith her actions will be decisive in the galaxy. She will be incredibly important in the choices that are made by those around her. It is vital she is on our side." Sidious explained.

"As you say master."

"But perhaps some more experience in the field is required. You can take the girl on your next mission. Perhaps then you may be able to appreciate the talents she can bring to the table." Sidious stated. Maul bowed in obedience. It was unfortunate that he would have to continue to entertain the girl but there was nothing he could do about it…

 **The Jedi temple**

Xeraph again tried to move the pebble with limited force energy. It was a fruitless endeavour despite combining the methods she had learned with Sidious and the advice that Shaak Ti gave her.

"You have improved Siri." Kitnandor said observing her efforts.

"Don't butter it up. I have made no progress." Xeraph spat.

"So you say… Perhaps it would be time to switch for some more sabre practise."

The two circled again with sabres drawn. Kitnandor went for opening with double bladed Niman whilst Xeraph stuck with Ataru. Xeraph was ready for a brutal Juyo assault or the heavy-handed blows of Djem So. But it was not enough to even scratch Kitnandor.

"Your Ataru is good. But your defence is pathetic." Kitnandor tutored.

"Who cares about defence? It's useless!" Xeraph shouted in reply.

"Perhaps your lack of patience is your flaw in that front. I will start with teaching you some Niman. Then maybe your duelling might develop from fancy flips and defensive blunders." It was an obviously provocative comment.

After about an hour of training Kitnandor stopped for a moment and then turned to Xeraph.

"Forgive me Siri. I have other matters to attend to. Meditate on what I have taught you today." He instructed. Then the Jedi knight walked out of the room.

 **The council chamber**

The Jedi council were sitting in their normal seats and were interrogating Kitnandor about his progress with his Padawan.

"So: do you believe that she is beginning to control her emotions more effectively?" Mace Windu asked.

"She has improved a bit master. But I fear that she still does not trust me entirely." Kitnandor replied.

"Come in time trust will." Yoda said.

"But perhaps we could speed up the process?" Shaak Ti asked.

"How so master Ti? Mace asked.

"Perhaps putting them on a mission together may increase the bond between the pair?" Shaak asked. Kitnandor flinched at this comment and tried unsuccessfully to rebuttal her.

"Is that truly necessary masters?" He said respectfully.

"Oh I think it is very necessary." Shaak said mischievously.

"Agree I do. Help bond you with Siri a mission will." Yoda said.

"We must proceed with caution. Perhaps a low risk mission may best." Mace said. For once Kitnandor was grateful that Mace did not trust him. There was a general consensus around the council. Sensing there mood Mace spoke again:

"I believe the matter is settled then. Kitnandor: you shall receive a mission file tomorrow. Until then I would recommend meditating on your upcoming trial." Mace suggested. Kitnandor bowed knowing it was fruitless to disagree.

 **That night**

Kitnandor finally gave into the temptation of sleep. He had been resisting for a few hours now but he finally knew that to resist now would be foolish.

Almost immediately his dream started. It began the same way it always began.

Screams. Bone chilling ear splitting screams; the kind that haunt you forever. The kind that will come back in your dreams just to tell you what a failure you were. The kind that never leave you…

All of a sudden a new scream emerged. It was that of Shaak Ti. She was shrieking as great tendrils of darkness started to claw her body apart.

Then the vision changed. He saw himself but his force signature was clouded. It was like a demon was using his body for it's own foul purposes. He drew his double bladed sabre (which was a deep blood red) and charged into the Jedi temple, which had just appeared.

Then the most horrifying vision of all: He saw Shaak on the floor then all of a sudden he drew his sabre and cut her down. What was worse that he enjoyed it. He relished in the fact that he had cut her down.

Finally the vision changed again and this time it was incredibly clouded. He could see four figures duelling rapidly, anything else beyond that was indiscernible.

 **The 500** **th** **republica**

Sidious finished his evening meditation. He had been aware for a while about Kitnandor problem with his dreams. It had taken little to no effort to augment the effects. As well as showing him a taste of what Sidious had planned for the Jedi knight. He planned all four of those visions and now it was only a matter of repeating them again like a sick holo film but adding more details friendly to the dark. Sidious was a master of manipulation and he was pulling no punches…

 **A/N So what do you think? You can't have a star wars story without a dream sequence! Please leave your thoughts in a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Next chapter is coming now! Also a HUGE thank you to dark-half-raven who has been reviewing multiple chapters of this story and providing me with feedback. You have no idea how much I appreciate it! he also has a very good story which i highly recommend reading. If you have any questions, predictions or critiques feel free to drop a review or PM me and I will respond! Now on with the chapter.**

Kitnandor felt sick. He felt like any second from now he would vomit his meagre breakfast on the floors of the Jedi temple. He could sense Siri walking behind him. She was exited for the mission at hand and Kitnandor wished he could share that excitement. As they climbed into the ship that would take them on their way Shaak stopped the pair.

"Good luck knight Kitnandor." Shaak said. She approached Kitnandor and added her own personal words of comfort "Do not panic. Keep your cool and remember that your apprentice is not as fast or as sharp as I am." Shaak said. Kitnandor nodded in reply. Already, a bead of sweat was starting to appear on his forehead. He went into his ship before he lost his nerve completely.

"So master. What is our mission?" Xeraph asked. She wanted to know what job she was doing for the Jedi council.

"Xev Xeruxus has stated that a Jedi has sabotaged his operations. We have been sent to investigate the validity of these claims." Kitnandor said.

"Wait. Isn't Xeruxus a crime lord? Why are we helping him?" Xeraph asked.

"The council believes that he may have run into a dark Jedi. If that is the case we may be able to trap him and take him back to the temple."

Xeraph nodded in reply. Whoever this dark Jedi was she hoped that he was foolish enough to reveal his face to Xeruxus. That way Sidious may gain another apprentice. If he was not powerful enough to join the Sith Xeraph would also relish in an opportunity to fight another force user.

 **Xeruxus' base**

As Xeraph and Kitnandor got out of their ship something was definitely off… You would expect a crime lord to have more guards around. Then Xeraph called to Kitnandor.

"Master. I have found something!"

Kitnandor ran across to where Xeraph was. On the floor were two dead bodies. One of them had been decapitated and the other had a blaster bolt in his chest.

After Kitnandor inspected the bodies he force jumped over the wall of Xeruxus' base. If not for the power of the dark side Xeraph would not have been able to keep up with her agile master.

Xeraph could see that whoever had stormed this base must have been very skilled in the force. She could see the corpses of multiple thugs littered across the courtyard. She could also see parts of the wall collapsed as well as few cannons strewn across the general area.

"Siri. Can you jump to that balcony over there?" Kitnandor asked. Xeraph measured the distances and nodded in reply. Jedi and Sith jumped across landing on the balcony.

"Why are we here?" Xeraph asked. They had barely swept through the rest of the base. Instead they had focused on one particular area.

"Shhhhh." Kitnandor replied.

"I will not shhhhh!" Xeraph replied.

"Shut up and listen!" Kitnandor replied. As they did Xeraph began to notice a slight whimpering coming from the left side of the room. She was about to mention this to Kitnandor but he had already tracked down the noise and moved away the colossal metal sheet that was hiding its creator. It was a feeble man who immediately recoiled at the sight of the pair.

"Please don't kill me." He said.

"Don't worry we won't do that." Kitnandor replied adopting his 'comforting Jedi' tone. Xeraph wanted to object but refrained from doing so. This man would make excellent practise for a more creative form of torture she had been developing. The man seemed to relax for a moment but then saw the sabres that Xeraph and Kitnandor had.

"You're lying! They have sent you to clean this place up. Well if I am going to die you are as well!" The man shouted. Then he pressed a button on his comm and there was a colossal explosion. Immediately the roof began to cave in with Kitnandor moving to catch it.

"Help me damn you!" He shouted between gritted teeth. Xeraph complied knowing that if she did not help Kitnandor now the roof would crush her as well. For about three hours all the two could do was prevent the roof from squashing them. Eventually Kitnandor began to slowly tilt the roof a few degrees at a time. Xeraph noticed his efforts and doubled her own when he was shifting the roof. Eventually the roof had lost enough weight to be moved fully.

"Thank you Siri. I could not have stopped that without your help." Kitnandor said.

"Your welcome master. What do you think happened here anyway?" Xeraph replied.

"My best guess would be that this dark Jedi decided to clean up this entire area to prevent us from interfering. I can't say I really care for these thugs though. I would wager that most deserved their grisly fates." Kitnandor said.

"Whoever did do this certainly knew how to cover their tracks." Xeraph said.

"That I can agree with. We need to go and report back to the council." Kitnandor said with a slight bitterness in his tone. Xeraph filed that in her mind for future use. If Kitnandor was bitter against the council then she could use that to turn him against the Jedi.

 **3 hours earlier**

Corpses littered the floor of Xev Xeruxus' base as Eldra and Maul cut through the thugs. Using the force and their sabres Eldra and Maul hacked their way into Xeruxus' inner sanctum launching a metal slab, which trapped a thug. They then began the easy process of hacking through the remaining guards. Maul in his classic fashion went through straight for the crime lord whilst Eldra cleaned up any remaining thugs. As Eldra began to approach the last one with her sabre drawn the thug began to beg with her:

"Please don't kill me. Please I won't tell anyone. Please don't kill me." He begged. Eldra hesitated her indecision clear on her face. It was easy enough to kill someone in the heat of combat but when they were begging with you to spare him it challenged every belief Eldra had been raised with. All of a sudden a red sabre shot straight through the final thugs chest.

"You took your time." Maul stated.

"You didn't have to do that you know." Eldra replied for once not flirting with the Zabrack.

"I did. If he had survived he could have compromised the Sith order. I could not allow that to happen." Maul was right. They both knew it but in his short time with Eldra (which was becoming more and more enjoyable) Maul could tell that the red Twi'lek was still conflicted. "At some point you will have to get your hands dirty. Let it be sooner rather than later." Maul said. "Now we need to leave."

 **Coruscant**

Eldra had just finished a long trip with Maul back to Coruscant. Her indecision still haunted her. So did Mauls actions. It was hard for her to appreciate how the Sith operated when she was still recovering from the Jedi doctrine that had been hammered into her. Of course she had always rejected some parts of it but others she saw as good moral guides.

She and Maul had to go back to Coruscant because the base on Mustafar could possibly be compromised. In that sense Eldra was glad. She knew the underworld well and wanted some time to breathe.

Therefore she visited her favourite bar in the area. Very quickly Eldra was up to her 15th drink with no signs of stopping soon. A man approached her who was obviously drunk.

"What's a beauty like you doing in a rough place like this?" He asked. Eldra turned to the man and eyed him up. She considered just using a force trick to turn him away or maybe get him kicked out but she was bored. Besides, she was not expected any time soon and a chance to unwind would be good.

"Waiting for a strong man like you to pick me up in your arms." Eldra replied deploying her classic tactics for seduction. Those were: stretching her body to reveal her red skin and showing off a beautiful smile.

 **Three hours later**

Eldra walked into Sidious' base in Coruscant. Maul was waiting for her. Any normal being would be half dead due to the amount of drink Eldra had undertook but Eldra was not normal.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Maul asked bitterly. He had felt like over the past few weeks with Eldra he had formed a bond of sorts. It was obvious that despite his master's warnings he had grown slightly attached to the young Twi'lek. She was at first incredibly annoying with her subtle jabs and clever word play. But very quickly Maul had grown used to it and had in some respects found her quite amusing.

"I did thank you very much." Eldra replied. She had an all-knowing smirk across her face as she seamlessly predicted Mauls next action.

"You know. I think my master would not appreciate you going out to fuck the first person you meet." Maul said trying to disguise his own discomfort with Eldra's actions through the threat of Sidious. Eldra saw right through his bluff.

"I know for a fact that Sidious does not care as long as I cover my tracks well. Why do you not want me fucking guys then? You don't give a care about me." Eldra said rather sadly. She looked at Maul and he did his best to return her piercing stare.

"Your right I don't. I care about the Sith order and I don't want one dumb girl to ruin all my master has worked for."

 **The Jedi temple (the next day)**

Xeraph walked into the training room ready for another session with Kitnandor. He was standing in the centre with both of his eyebrows furrowed together whilst he fidgeted with his sabre.

"Ah Siri. What took you so long?" Kitnandor asked. Xeraph could not help but roll her eyes. She could say that she took so long because she was trying to cloak her dark presence after an intense bout of Sith meditation but she had a slight feeling that it would not go down well with her 'master'.

"Forgive me master. I was tired after our mission yesterday." Xeraph said. As soon as she said it she realised how pathetic her excuse was.

"If your tired after yesterday you will be done in by the end of today." Kitnandor replied with a sly smile on his face. "Now I want you to move the pebble Siri." Xeraph disliked how insistent Kitnandor was on the damn pebble but she still complied with his instructions. Focusing her energy she sent off a push and to her great surprise the pebble budged slightly.

Using her minimal energy again she began to push the pebble. She started rapidly pushing it allowing it to gain momentum until it finally fell off the pedestal.

"Well done. Now move the larger slab of rock." Kitnandor commanded. Xeraph complied and sank in all of her power into moving the rock. To her surprise the rock moved. Again Xeraph used similar techniques to the pebble rapidly pushing the rock until it gained so much momentum that it was practically sliding across the floor.

"Not bad Siri. Now tell me: why were you able to move the slab?" Kitnandor asked.

Siri's first thought was to say: _"the power of the dark side bitch!"_ but when she stopped to consider she actually realised that her success was not entirely to do with the dark side. She thought back to how she and her 'master' had moved the roof the other day. Then she thought back to how Shaak told her to focus her energy.

"I focused the force and used it more efficiently." Xeraph replied. Kitnandor smiled and nodded.

"Very good Siri. Very good indeed." Kitnandor said.

For the rest of the training session Kitnandor focused on exhausting Xeraph as much as possible. They would spar and when Kitnandor inevitably won Xeraph would have to move the slab again. At the end of the day she was completely wiped out and was mentally preparing herself for the brutal training Sidious would put her through.

 **Sidious base (Coruscant)**

After slipping into Sidious' base Xeraph prepared herself to meet two other Sith apprentices. Xeraph had already met Maul and that meeting had been enough for her to know that Maul was a tool to be disposed of as soon as his usefulness ran out. But Xeraph was curious to meet Eldra Kaitis.

As she moved into the room where Eldra and Maul were the pair stopped their conversation immediately. At this Xeraph narrowed her eyes. They were all Sith (even Eldra was at least a dark Jedi) and there was no reason for them to stop their conversation, unless.

"So Eldra. How has Maul treated you so far?" Xeraph asked.

"Maul has taught me well. For example he warned me of your arrogance Xeraph." Eldra replied with a small smirk on her face. Predictably Xeraph's rage flared and immediately she drew her sabre challenging Eldra. The Twi'lek responded in kind. It looked like the two were about to duel but then Sidious entered the room.

"What on earth do you two think you doing?! Give me one good reason why I should not blast you both into oblivion now!" Sidious shouted.

"Because it would have been a waste of time to turn us then." Eldra said. She was the first one to be blasted by Sidious' force lightning. He blasted her for a full twenty minutes before finally letting off. As soon as the overwhelming pain stopped Eldra finally fell unconscious.

"Take out the trash Maul." Sidious said referring to Eldra. The girl would survive but Sidious knew that the experience would serve as a warning lest Eldra speak out of line again.

"And now onto you Xeraph." Sidious said. Xeraph flinched mentally preparing herself for a similar treatment to Eldra. As predicted the young Sith was also subjected to brutal torture. It was far worse than what Eldra experienced. For Eldra Sidious' lightning was blue and despite burning Xeraph knew it was barely a taste of what Sidious could do. On the other hand, what Xeraph experienced was far worse. The bolts of lighting were a deep purple and went on for much longer than Eldra's.

After about an hour Eldra woke up. Her entire body hurt. Every time she moved her body screamed out in pain a protest. When Eldra finally sat up she noticed Maul standing over her.

"Don't move. Otherwise it will hurt more next week." Maul said.

"Next week? Seriously?" Eldra groaned.

"Your lucky that I tended to you. Otherwise you would not be able to fight properly for a month." Maul said.

"Why did you tend to me? I thought you did not care about me?" Eldra asked. It was a poor attempt at a joke.

"About that. I was not being entirely honest. I… I do care about you." Maul said. Eldra glanced up sharply. Her once hollow eyes were now brimming with life.

"I do as well." Eldra replied.

 **Sidious' chamber**

If Sidious were close enough to Maul he would have tortured the Zabrack for many days on end in a moments notice. It was only because that he was far away from Maul (and the fact that Eldra was with him) that Sidious restrained himself. Maul had one order! One order and he had failed. He had failed! It was honestly pathetic!

Sidious began to draw himself in a meditation bending the force to tell him the future and it finally gave him his wish. First he saw Maul and Eldra together. They were obviously in love. It was easy to tell just from the way that they looked at each other that the pair was simply infatuated with each other.

Then the vision changed. Sidious did not see anything but he felt something. It was pure awesome power in the dark side. It was if everything to do with the pathetic light had been annihilated in an instant. Sidious liked this. If this had to do with Eldra or Maul he might consider letting the relationship continue.

And then the final vision arrived: it was a young male Twi'lek with red skin and the yellow eyes of a Sith. What was curious about him was his Lekku. Instead of ending the way they normally did in a Twi'lek the Lekku instead curved backwards forming a sharp hood similar to the horns on Mauls head. Next to the Twi'lek was a Togruta female. This Togruta female also had the yellow eyes of the Sith as well as having multiple Sith tattoos to compliment her outfit.

What the final vision was implying was obvious to Sidious. Eldra and Maul would have a child then that child may bring another Sith into his new order. Furthermore, when Sidious gained Eldra's full loyalty that would mean he could guaranty that three of his new Sith would not turn against him. Because of that fact Sidious decided to let Maul and Eldra enjoy themselves. Instead of breaking them apart he decided to plant more visions to pull Kitnandor towards the darkness. He was surprised that his foresight had not told him of this latest development but it was certainly a welcome one.

 **The next evening**

Maul, Eldra and Xeraph were standing next to each other with a long bench in front of them. On the bench there were multiple tools, pieces of scrap metal but most importantly three Kyber crystals. Sidious walked into the room and began to speak:

"As you can see there are three Kyber crystals on this workbench as well as multiple tools. As I would hope you have all figured out we will be crafting light sabres. You may begin." Sidious said.

Maul set off immediately already knowing how to craft a sabre having done it many times before. Xeraph and Eldra started off slower. Both were considering how to create a sabre best suited for their needs. Eventually Eldra began to create a longer hilted sabre. This would allow her to parry more effectively with two hands as well as make it easier for her to incorporate Djem So strikes into her fighting. Xeraph pulled pieces of scrap that Maul and Eldra were not using and began to use force lighting to shape them together into a sabre hilt. The result was a sabre hilt that was incredibly rough and covered with sharp spikes. This allowed the hilt to become a weapon in itself. One curious thing Eldra did notice was the fact that there was no space for Xeraph to grip the sabre without causing herself pain from the spikes.

"Xeraph. How are you going to grip your sabre without harming yourself?" Eldra asked.

"Simple. I'm not. Pain fuels the dark side and this way I get an easy source of it. Besides, why would you let an enemy know where you would grip your weapon?" Xeraph replied. Sidious nodded in approval. Xeraph was shaping out to be his best apprentice by far. After all three sabre hilts were completed Sidious produced a Kyber crystal out of his sleeves.

"Now in order to gain a red blade fitting of a Sith you must bleed your crystal. In order to do this you must funnel all of your darker emotions into the crystal. Gradually it will gain the desired red colour." Sidious instructed. As he was saying this the Sith master closed his eyes and after a bead of sweat appeared across his face Sidious finally turned to crystal red. "Begin." The Sith master said.

Immediately Xeraph and Maul picked up there crystals like they were the last drops of water left in the galaxy. Within in a minute Maul's crystal was red. Eldra had still not picked it up. After about three minutes Xeraph's crystal went red as well. The Sith lady allowed herself a small smile at her success. Not only had she shown up Eldra but she confident that she had done it quickly as well. Placing her crystal into her sabre Xeraph lit it up and a blood red glow filled the room.

After Sidious left to train Xeraph it was just Eldra and Maul left on in the room. Finally after a great amount of thinking Eldra picked up the crystal and began to bleed it. She tried doing what Sidious had instructed and focused her rage but it was to no avail. After a momentous effort the best Eldra could was create a weak orange colour. It was pathetic and Eldra knew it.

Meanwhile Eldra and Sidious were training in another room. Both were moving exceptionally quickly as red sabres flashed through the air. After Sidious disarmed Xeraph he began to give his apprentice her next assignment.

"Xeraph. You are currently being trained in the light side by Kitnandor, is that correct?"

"Yes master." Xeraph replied flawlessly

"Well then. It us my firm opinion that Kitnandor would be a great advocate of the Sith order. Do your best to turn him but you must be subtle. If you mess this up the consequences will be dire for you." Sidious instructed.

"Yes master."

 **Kitnandor's apartment**

Kitnandor was having another awful dream. There were bad dreams, there were evil dreams and then there were worse dreams. This one was a worse dream. He was watching as a blonde girl was torturing Shaak. The area around was definitely Coruscant and Kitnandor was certain that he was standing near the now on fire Jedi temple. But something felt off about it; like the dark side had tainted it for good.

"You see? This is what you get for failing me! This is what you get for trying to teach me the light! This is what you get for not joining me!" The blonde girl shouted. With each sentence she blasted Shaak Ti with another bolt of lighting. Kitnandor tried to break free but he couldn't. He was being held down by two other figures.

Then he heard Shaak's scream. It echoed through his body and split every being of his soul. Something inside the man snapped. With a great feral scream he broke free and ignited his double bladed sabre. By giving into his anger he felt more power than ever before. Power to save Shaak, power to undo his mistakes.

Then the vision changed. This time he was standing in front of the burning Jedi temple. He had a red sabre in his hand and he did not need a mirror to know what colour his eyes were. He was starting down at the feeble body of Shaak Ti.

"Finally you will die. The last thing that has held me back will gone. My chains will finally be broken!" Kitnandor shouted.

"Please don't do this! I love you. This isn't you Kitnandor!" Shaak shouted.

"Love is a lie. You always cared about your precious order than me! And now you will die for your betrayal!" Kitnandor shouted bringing down his sabre killing Shaak.

Then the vision changed one last time. This time there was an old man glowing in the force; but not the dark or the light.

"Two paths. Each will lead in a different direction with different challenges but they will end the same way for you. You WILL fall. Fight your battles wisely." The old man stated before disappearing.

With a start Kitnandor woke up. Sweat was pouring down his forehead as he tried to gain his bearings. He was in his apartment with Shaak sleeping next to him. He was desperate to wake her; just so he could talk to her and remind himself that whatever those dreams were there was no way that they could come true.

"What's wrong?" Shaak asked. She must have sensed Kitnandor's pain and distress through the force.

"Nothing." Kitnandor muttered.

"Now I know something is wrong." Shaak said now sitting up and staring into Kitnandor with her deep blue eyes.

"Fine. I had a bad dream. Happy now?" Kitnandor said not wanting to burden Shaak with what was probably his mind going crazy again.

"You should speak to Yoda about these dreams of yours." Shaak said giving the classic 'Jedi advice. "Well if you don't I will." She said in a flirting manner but her tone was deadly serious.

"You win. Now can I sleep?" Kitnandor said trying to escape the conversation.

"Where is your sense of fun? We have an entire night ahead of us and you don't want to sleep, do you?" Shaak asked playfully inching closer to her partner. Kitnandor gave into the temptations that Shaak gave him. She was right; he did not want to sleep.

Meanwhile two Sith were going through the exact same process.

 **Sidious' meditation chamber**

Sidious was not sure which pair disgusted him the most. The Togruta and his future Sith or Eldra and Maul.

At least Shaak and Kitnandor had style. They had been in a relationship for quite some time and it was obvious that they cared deeply for one another. Although, it was obvious that they acted as a pull to the light to one another. If Kitnandor were to fall Shaak would have to be out of the picture.

As for Maul and Eldra: well they would be fun to toy with. Two youths that had discovered each other and fell in love with each other in a matter of weeks. It was like some poorly written Holo novel made by a guy who was simply using them as a plot device. But whoever this bad writer was at least he made an attempt to give them some flavour. Sidious would take great pleasure in breaking them up as soon as Eldra gave birth.

The two visions he had planted in Kitnandor had been fun. It was amusing to toy with his emotions and show him the future. It would give him a taste of the power he would soon wield…

 **A/N This was a fun one to write. I ended up including less detail in some scenes than I would have liked and going a bit further than I originally intended to with Kitnandor's dreams. There will probably be about a four-year time skip in the next chapter. I just don't feel like writing about every mission that happens during Eldra and Maul's time together and Xeraph and Kitnandor's master apprentice bond. A better writer would write those stories but I just don't have the patience. Reviews are as always appreciated :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Huge thank you to Dark-half-raven and GreyJedi 722 for reviewing. It is greatly appreciated! There is a four-year time skip (roughly) between this chapter and the previous one. This lands the story around the Phantom menace.**

Xeraph and Kitnandor hacked there way through a few more thugs. Technically the mission was meant to be a hostage negotiation but 'unfortunately' the negotiations had quickly descended into violence. Xeraph was disappointed with her progress with Kitnandor in turning him to the darkness. She truly expected him to have fallen by now but he was still clinging to the weak light (it was truly pathetic).

Xeraph's theory was that he had a rock that was holding him to the light. In that sense all that she needed to do was remove that rock.

"Siri! Stop day dreaming and search through some of these computer files will you?" Kitnandor asked from the other side of the room that they had just cleared. Xeraph obliged and started digging through the computers encryption was extremely tough. It took about half an hour before Xeraph finally got onto a new screen. But the new screen was not much better; this time all it showed was symbol. The symbol was two chains crossing each other whilst seamlessly binding someone head together.

"Master. Have you seen this symbol before?" Xeraph asked. Kitnandor walked over to inspect the symbol whistling a heroic tune. He glanced at the symbol for a second and then almost immediately collapsed on the floor in a pathetic heap. In his head with increasing velocity terrifying visions began to race in: first came cruel laughter and then came bone-chilling screams.

 **Sidious' base (Coruscant)**

Maul and Eldra stood together awkwardly for a moment. Both have them had managed to keep up their relationship secret from Sidious (or so they thought) and in the past four years it had developed into what was actually quite a stable long term relationship.

"I am going on a mission tonight. I won't see you for a day or two. Try not to let Xeraph get to you that much." Maul said tenderly stroking Eldra's cheek.

"So soon after Tatooine? Its fine of course but before you leave I need to tell you something." Eldra said.

"What is it?" Maul asked hurriedly already walking to his ship.

"I'm pregnant." Eldra said. Maul stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Eldra looking her dead in the eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"But what are we going to do? I mean about Sidious?" Eldra asked.

"If the child is powerful enough in the force we will train it in the dark side. Sidious will find that acceptable." Maul said.

"Is that really necessary? I don't want to put our child through the suffering we have both gone through. I our child to a relatively normal childhood." Eldra replied with her maternal instincts already developing.

"It is very necessary. Sidious would never accept a 'normal' upbringing. Besides, I would want our child to be trained in the dark side. It is our legacy that will be filled." Maul said showing his fanatic loyalty to the Sith.

"Even if that training was nothing but pain and suffering?" Eldra replied.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you! Do you even give a crap about our child?" Eldra shouted slapping Maul across the face. "Go on your precious mission for Sidious if that is what makes you happy!"

"That I will!" Maul shouted as he marched into his ship. Almost immediately after the brief clash both Sith felt a twinge of regret. Neither of them wanted to argue but both were too stubborn to admit they were equally at fault.

 **The Jedi temple**

Xeraph sat by Kitnandor's bedside. She did not want to spend her time in the Jedi temple surrounded by weak healer's who could barely close a cut but Xeraph had decided that whoever cared about Kitnandor would come to visit him. From that person Xeraph could possibly use a weak friendship to turn her 'master.' It was the first opportunity Xeraph had gained in months and she was not going to waste it. Whilst, she waited Xeraph dug through Kitnandor's mind. She was genuinely curious about what caused such a sudden collapse and wanted to know why. Unfortunately for Xeraph Kitnandor had incredible mental defences built up over years so her progress was very slow.

"Tell me Siri. Why are you looking through your masters head?" Shaak Ti asked having just arrived in the med bay. Xeraph almost fell off her chair in surprise. Shaak Ti was the only Jedi in this temple that Xeraph respected to a degree. Because of Shaak's closeness to Kitnandor it was normally best to be honest with the Togruta master.

"I wanted to know why he fainted master. It just does not seem right." Xeraph said trailing off at the end. It was an invite for Shaak to 'spill the beans.' Shaak glanced over her shoulder before turning to Xeraph.

"Considering your masters condition I believe it may be fruitful for us to take a walk tonight. Be ready at 0:00." Shaak said before leaving the med bay. Xeraph hesitantly left as well trying to figure out the most effective way for her to do some dark side meditation without the Jedi noticing.

 **That night**

Xeraph was turning her Sith light sabre in her hands. It was infinitely better than her Jedi sabre. The face that she still had to wield the pathetic purple blade sickened Xeraph to the core. All of a sudden, Xeraph sensed the force presence of Shaak Ti outside her door. Stuffing her Sith sabre into her hidden draw Xeraph left her chamber to greet Shaak Ti.

"Good evening Siri. Coruscant is beautiful tonight don't you think? Maybe a walk outside the temple would do us both some good." Shaak said showing that whatever she was telling Xeraph the Jedi knowing would be bad.

"Of course master." Xeraph replied. The two walked rather quickly through the temple. They went pass three other Jedi none of whom challenged the pair. It was a stark contrast to the way Xeraph normally had to sneak through the corridors. After walking through the darkened corridors some more Shaak took a sharp left followed by a right before force jumping across a ventilation shaft. Xeraph followed. Where was Shaak taking her? Finally after a few more successive force jumps they were outside the Jedi temple.

Before Xeraph could even take her bearings Shaak was already on the move again. The Togruta Jedi was threading her way through the crowded streets greeting a few people as she went. After what seemed like another age they finally came at the entrance of a dingy apartment. After letting Xeraph in and inviting her to sit Shaak disappeared into the bedroom. This gave Xeraph to observe the flat. There was a small cooker that had obviously come with the apartment but had never been used. There was also an outdated holo set with a few holo films on it. Most of them were what were from the same franchise, which was about heroes with varied abilities from a fictional planet called earth. Most of the powers the heroes had were pathetic compared to the force but the most recent holo film's main antagonist, a guy called Thanos, was pretty powerful.

Shaak Ti walked out of the bedroom again now carrying a small Holo; as the door slid shut Xeraph noticed a double bed.

"Now let us begin Siri. Tell me: do you know anything about Kitnandor's mission to Felucia?" Shaak asked.

"Apart from the fact that the mission destroyed the councils faith in him and the fact that he took a huge hit to his 'vibrant energy' I know nothing." Xeraph replied quoting a council meeting she had eavesdropped in four years ago.

"Then we are going to be in for a long night. Do you want a cup of Caff?" Shaak asked referring to a colossal box on the side.

"Not a chance am I going to drink that bantha piss." Xeraph replied with a smirk.

"Agreed. I cannot stand the stuff myself." Shaak said. That was odd to Xeraph. Why did Shaak have such a huge box of Caff if she hated it? Xeraph had only seen Kitnandor drink that brand of Caff anyway.

"So. Why here?" Xeraph asked.

"Siri. The council would not approve of me telling you this. Therefore, what you shall tell you will not go outside of this room. Understood?" Shaak said sternly.

Xeraph nodded in reply. "Now where to begin?" Shaak asked to herself.

"Felucia." Xeraph said trying to get straight to the point.

"Very well. So have you heard of Jerec the slaver?" Shaak asked.

"Yes. He was some kind of crime lord that did a lot of slave trading." Xeraph replied.

"That is understatement. He was a unique kind of monster. Every time we got witnesses to bring him to justice they would seemingly 'disappear.' It was impossible to put him on trial until by some kind of fluke a couple high-ranking members of his organisation were captured.

Jerec panicked and tried to assassinate them. That was his mistake. After the failed assassination attempt the men wanted to act as witnesses as long as they were given pardons. We took him to court and pulled the witnesses on him. The judge gave him the death penalty." Shaak said in her monotone voice.

"But how does this link in with a mission to Felucia?" Xeraph asked impatiently.

"I'm getting their Siri. On the night before his execution some of his thugs broke him out. And the greatest manhunt of the generation began. It was the most fucked game of hide and seek imaginable. All the Jedi including Kitnandor and myself were sent to catch him. It was by our bad luck that we found him first." Shaak said almost sadly.

"We found his ship and managed to shoot it down on Felucia. We landed there and followed his party. Three days into the hunt we stumbled across a village. It had been burned to the ground but we found no bodies. Just Jerec's symbol." Shaak said.

"The chains and the head." Xeraph muttered.

"Indeed. The lack of bodies led us to the conclusion that he had taken the villagers hostage. We tracked him for another week before we stumbled right into an ambush. Then the trail split. It was obvious that the hostages went one way and Jerec went the other way. We argued about whom to pursue. It was a rough argument that neither of us won and ended with us splitting up and going separate ways. I went for the hostages whilst Kitnandor went for Jerec. It was an awful mistake." Shaak said with a shiver at the end.

"I do not know what happened with Jerec but when I finally found the hostages I fought the thugs who had been guarding them and was going around freeing them. All of a sudden I saw a massive laser blast coming from the top of the mountain. Two more quickly followed after that. The blasts annihilated the hostages in all consuming fire. I do not know what happened on the mountain but the next thing I knew there was a ship leaving the top of the mountain. I presume that was Jerec but I have not gotten round to asking Kitnandor. It is the one thing I think I will never be able to get out of him." Shaak said.

"So then is it safe to presume that the symbol that Kitnandor saw triggered a memory of what happened on the mountain which triggered his faint?" Xeraph concluded.

"Spot on Siri." Shaak said.

"Now if you will forgive me Shaak I want to ask another question." Xeraph said.

"Fire away Siri." Shaak said confidently.

"Why is it that Kitnandor lives here with you?" Xeraph asked with a malicious glint in her eyes.

"What are you talking about Siri? I think the late hour might be getting to you." Shaak said nervously trying to deflect Xeraph's accusations.

"Oh I know exactly what I am talking about. Your old Holo set and unused cooker shows that whoever lives here does not have the time or skill to cook extended meals and does not care for worldly possessions both signs of Jedi. The Caff you have is a brand that I have only ever seen Kitnandor drink. Furthermore, you said you hated the stuff meaning someone who likes the most disgusting Caff in the world lives here. Next you have a table for two as well as a sofa. If you were living alone you would not need those."

"The furniture came with the lease. And the Caff was a 'gift' from the landlord." Shaak said stumbling on her weak excuses.

"As if a landlord can afford to give their leasers and entire box of fucking Caff. Not a chance. Also Kitnandor was whistling the theme song of your most watched holo film in our most recent mission." Xeraph said.

"That holo film is very popular Siri. Besides Kitnandor whistles the theme to a lot of the holo films he has seen recently. He had a phase when all he would whistle was the theme of some dumb alternate universe film called star trek."

"And how do you know that?" Xeraph asked. "And the final nail in the coffin is the fact that you have a double bed. Why would a Jedi have a double bed?" Xeraph asked menacingly. "Prove me wrong. I dare you. This would be a good story to tell Kitnandor in bed wouldn't it?"

"Fine you've got me. Your right about everything." Shaak admitted knowing that the sharp Sith apprentice would not take no for an answer.

Xeraph's eyes glinted in triumph. She had found Kitnandor's rock to the light. It was ironic that the very Jedi master who had tried to pull Xeraph away from her love was in love herself. It was so ironic. It was time to milk this cow for all it was worth.

"When did your relationship start?" Xeraph asked.

"Oh fuck you!" Shaak shouted breaking character very quickly. Shaak knew that if she did not answer all of Xeraph's questions the council would stumble across her love life very quickly.

"When we were younglings our rivalry was quite impressive. It was also quite destructive. We were constantly trying to outdo each other in every way possible. When it came round to finding our crystals on Ilum we were in a race to see who could find our crystal first. We went separate ways almost immediately but then about half way through the trial both of us were led down opposite ends of the same passage. At the end of the passage we had to work together to both get our crystals. The force taught us that pointless arguing is foolish and we are more powerful together. Much later we went on a mission together and the rest is history." Shaak said. "Does that satisfy your curiosity or do I need to tell you when we first fucked as well?" Shaak joked.

"Does that mean that I could still find someone who loves me?" The girl inside Xeraph asked. Desperately Xeraph squashed Siri's thoughts and wishes as they propped their ugly head up. She was a Sith. She did not need such weak emotions. Love was a tool that was to be used to manipulate people into getting results.

"Only the force can tell you that Siri." Shaak said cryptically. Xeraph nodded hurriedly desperate to not let Siri sprout up again. "We should get moving. It will be dawn soon and we need to be back at the temple." Shaak said. Xeraph nodded and escaped into the night.

 **The med bay (Jedi temple)**

Kitnandor rolled over and over on his bed. If there was a god of dreams the bastard was deliberately making his life miserable. His dream was playing out the worst moment of his life.

 _Kitnandor ran up a mountain and at the top stood a small man. In one hand he had a blaster and in the other he held a girl._

 _"Let her go Jerec!" Kitnandor shouted._

 _"And why would I do that master Jedi? She would make a very fine wife" Jerec snarled. At this the girls eyes widened in fear. Suddenly a ship started landing on the mountain._

 _"And now I must bid my leave master Jedi. But before I go I think it would be only fair if Narcissa said goodbye to her family." Jerec snarled referring to the girl he was holding hostage. As if waiting for a signal three colossal bolts of pure energy emanated from the ship decimating an area below the mountain. Narcissa shrieked realising the massacre that had just happened. Jerec strode into his ship as the slaver escaped justice._

 _"Your code is weak Jedi. It has failed you and it will again." Jerec shouted as he finally left the planet._

 _Frantically Kitnandor recklessly charged down the mountain to where the blasts had landed. When he arrived it was a scene of chaos. A man grabbed onto Kitnandor's hand and began shouting rapidly. "Where is my daughter? Where is Narcissa?" the man shouted frantically before fading back into the crowd. That was death he had caused. If he had been a bit faster and caught the bastard this would not have happened. It was better if he never went on a mission again. That way he would never be able to harm anyone again._

 _The council blamed him. That much was obvious. It was there bloody fault. It was they who stuck to the damn code all the time!_

 **Sidious' base (Coruscant)**

Eldra was lounging around on one of the sofas. She was trying to meditate. She was trying to focus her anger but nothing would work. For the hundredth time she opened up her Sith sabre and took a look at her orange crystal. For the hundredth time she tried to turn the damned thing red. And for the hundredth time she ended in miserable failure. The orange crystal was mocking her.

"What's wrong sweetie? To weak to finish the job?" The crystal said mocking Eldra.

"Your weak girl. Your to dumb to be a Jedi and to weak to be a Sith. You can't even agree with the man you love about how to raise your child!" The crystal continued. With all the rage she had Eldra threw the crystal against the wall. Using the force to pull it back Eldra noticed a thin crack in the orange crystal. Moodily Eldra stuffed it back into her sabre and went to get a drink. However, as Eldra stood up a flash of pain struck through her waste. All of a sudden, Eldra felt Maul in her head

 _"I'm sorry. Jedi got me. I love you."_ Maul said through there mental bond. And then he was gone. It took about a second for Eldra to process what Maul had told her. Then another second for the boiling rage at the Jedi order to overtake her. And then another second for Eldra's eyes to turn golden yellow…

 **A/N I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There was a lot to cover here and I hoped I covered Kitnandor and Shaak pretty well. I just wrote this chapter in one sitting and I am absolutely exhausted. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Watch as Eldra begins to slip into darkness. Enjoy!**

It was challenging for Sidious to not give into a huge grin. Whilst the loss of Maul was unfortunate, Eldra was certainly making up for it. The one explosion of rage Eldra had just experienced was more rage than she had presented in her entire time with the Sith so far. Sidious could already feel the dark power that was Eldra Kaitis moving to his chamber.

"WHERE IS MAUL?!" Eldra shouted.

"He is on a mission Eldra." Sidious replied calmly.

"HE IS DEAD! YOU KNOW IT! WHO KILLED HIM?!" Eldra shouted her rage exploding out into the chamber.

"It must have been the Jedi who killed him. I am deeply sorry for your loss Eldra. I know the two of you were close." Sidious said lying between his teeth. Eldra gave no notice to Sidious' false attempts at pity.

"LET ME AT THEM! LET ME AT THEM. LET ME KILL A JEDI. LET ME RIP THEIR HEARTS OUT! LET ME DESTROY EVERY LAST ONE TO AVENGE MAUL!" Eldra screamed filled with the rage of the dark side.

"Whilst it would be unwise for you to try and kill every Jedi I am sure you could find one on the streets of Coruscant. Good luck my apprentice." Sidious said hardly containing his smile as Eldra left.

 **One hour later (Coruscant)**

Eldra had stalked her prey for about ten minutes now. Slowly she was drawing the unsuspecting knight into a trap. First there was a small scream, which pulled the Jedi into the side streets. Then there was cry for help to lure in the foolish Jedi. As he walked straight into her ambush Eldra let loose a savage grin. It would be the first of many kills today.

"What on earth is going on?" The Jedi knight muttered. "I sense something dark… Something dangerous." The Jedi said drawing his blue sabre.

"You sense your demise." Eldra snarled revealing herself and drawing her orange sabre. Immediately Eldra dashed forward like some insane beast. The duel was not even worth Eldra's time. Maul, Sidious and Xeraph had all drilled sparing techniques into Eldra over the past four years and it showed. For once every dark side technique was in her grasp. With a quick feint Eldra knocked the Jedi unconscious. She was going to have a lot of fun with this one.

 **A few hours later**

Jedi knight Ima-gun Di groaned in pain. He had no idea who had taken him out or what they wanted from him but if the savagery of the Twi'lek girl was anything to go by he was in trouble.

All of a sudden the red skinned Twi'lek appeared in front of him. She carried a small knife. Her yellow eyes glinted viciously in the darkness.

"What are you?" Ima-gun Di asked tiredly.

"Your end." Eldra hissed stabbing the knife into Di's chest.

"Why are you doing this?" Ima-gun Di asked again. If he was going to die he might as well know why.

"Why? Why you ask? Shall I tell you why? Your pathetic order! That's why! You and your pathetic Jedi took away the man I loved!" Eldra screamed stabbing Ima-gun Di again.

"I was a Jedi once you know. I served your pathetic order to the last. And then I discovered freedom. And shall I tell you what my master did? She abandoned me to be sold as a slave!" Eldra shouted her anger only increasing. Again she stabbed the knife into Di's chest.

"But despite that betrayal I still held onto a part of my Jedi being. I had some naïve hope that perhaps there was some huge mistake. Or that I could still be a Jedi!" Eldra shouted ripping the knife out causing a great spray of blood.

"I even tried to protect my child from what the man I loved was. What I would one day become!" Eldra shouted this time tenderly rubbing her belly.

"I argued with the man I loved. And you know what? I actually considered giving my child to your pathetic order! But then the Jedi took my love away from me! I would give anything, anything at all just to stroke his cheek one last time! Just so we would a day together in happiness! Just so I could say I was sorry for the fact that our last meeting ended in an argument." Eldra was in tears now as she recalled how badly her last meeting with Maul had ended. But the time for crying was now over…

"I will make your entire order pay for what you have taken away from me! I will kill each and every last Jedi until your order is gone forever. That will start with you!" Eldra shouted finally letting her anger overtake her again. It was a good thing that the room was soundproof. It would do well in blotting out screams.

 **The Jedi temple**

There were four Jedi inside the briefing room of the temple. Mace Windu, Yoda, Shaak Ti, Kitnandor and then there was also Xeraph. They were discussing what seemed to be the resurfacing of Jerec.

"If he truly has resurfaced masters I think we should dedicate all our resources to bringing him to justice." Shaak said. The other Jedi nodded in agreement.

"I think I may have some progress on it. Recently someone from the counter-pirating branch of the republic military intercepted a transmission. Apparently a girl called Narcissa who has spent about five years as Jerec's 'wife' has just escaped his clutches. Furthermore, one of our knights noticed a girl matching Narcissa's description checking into a low quality hotel in the underbelly of Coruscant. If we could make contact with her it could speed up our search tremendously." Mace stated laying out the facts.

"I will meet with her." Kitnandor said.

"Are you sure your ready to face your past?" Shaak asked genuinely worried for Kitnandor.

"I am ready as I will ever be." Kitnandor said with more confidence that even he expected.

"So it's settled." Mace said. "I wish you luck knight Kitnandor." With that most of the Jedi left the room apart from Kitnandor and Shaak Ti.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Kitnandor said trying to comfort Shaak.

"But I do worry. Be on your guard." Shaak said.

"I will be. I think Siri may be becoming a knight soon. That means soon we will have to decide our own position here." Kitnandor said. Shaak could barely hold back her smile. It was about time they left the Jedi behind.

 **The Coruscant underbelly**

Kitnandor walked into the hotel where Narcissa was staying. It was painfully average. There was a distinct lack of hygiene as well as what was obviously a place for crooks of all kinds to lie low. Kitnandor approached the bar and sat next to a girl with long black hair that was there to disguise the scars running down her back.

"Narcissa?" Kitnandor asked. Narcissa turned around rapidly as she immediately recognised Kitnandor.

"Who's asking?" Narcissa said. In reply Kitnandor lifted a part of his cape to show his sabre. "Come up to my room." Narcissa said. Leaving the bar without paying. Kitnandor cautiously followed paying his bill.

"Do you want a recite?" The bartender asked.

"No." Kitnandor replied hurriedly.

"Fair enough." The bartender said ripping the half printed recite, with chains wrapping around a human face at the bottom, and throwing it in the bin. As Kitnandor left the bar three men followed him. Kitnandor was well aware of the men following him. They were the kind of thugs that could barely shoot a blaster and could not follow any more than two sentence orders. The only one with any recognisable features was a Twi'lek with one of his Lekku missing. Following Narcissa Kitnandor managed to shake them off as he went through the winding corridors.

When he arrived in Narcissa's dingy room he noticed the girl assembling a blaster. It was the kind of blaster that detectives in the Coruscant police carried. Light, easy to conceal and by far the best stun blast in the core.

"Take a seat." Narcissa said referring to her bed. Kitnandor obliged.

"So Narcissa: do you know of any bases where Jerec's been hiding in?" Kitnandor asked going straight for questioning.

"Not really. He never really tells me anything." Narcissa replied starting to fix the muzzle onto her gun.

"Can you remember any operatives high up in his organisation?" Kitnandor asked.

"There was a Twi'lek without a Lekku. Jerec would put him in charge of watching me. Most of the times I tried to escape were prevented by him." Narcissa said fitting in the trigger and power cell to her blaster.

"In that case we better get moving. He is in this building. We need to get out now!" Kitnandor said not wanting his only contact to be killed. Suddenly Kitnandor fell to the floor suffering a stun bolt to his back from Narcissa. She watched impassively as Jerec's thugs broke down the door and bundled Kitnandor into a bag.

 **The Jedi temple**

The wind echoed out in the shadowy streets of Coruscant carrying death, misery and disease across the city. Something dark was about on the streets. It was the kind of monster that was born in a day but then never left. It was always there, always hunting you and just when you thought you were safe it would crush you.

It was by far the worst kind of night to be on duty as a temple guard. All of a sudden a loud thump was heard outside the temple door. Cautiously two temple guards moved towards the door and flung it open using the force. They looked down and saw the brutally mutilated body of knight Ima-gun Di.

He was almost un-recognisable. Multiple parts of his body from his ears to the area around his crotchet had been painfully amputated. Both his eyes had been gouged out of his face, which was locked in an eternal scream.

You did not need to see the look of pure terror on his face to know that Ima-gun Di had died a painful death. On his head a note was attached:

 _I hope you have enough coffins because you will need them._

 _Enjoy your lives whilst they last Jedi,_

 _Darth Tisiphone._

 **A/N And that is it. This chapter is a bit short but a lot happened I this one and the next will be much longer. I hope you enjoyed and reviews are as always appreciated and loved.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N So at the time of writing this note I am already multiple weeks after my previous upload. So yes this chapter is late. But I hope you enjoy it anyway. Who knows? Maybe I might surprise a few of you?**

The first thing Kitnandor felt was a throbbing pain in his head. Gradually he began to regain his sight and began to take in his surroundings. He was in a metal cell made of Mandalorian iron. When he glanced forward he saw the face of Narcissa staring down at him. She was in 'clothes' that seemed to take pleasure in revealing as much skin as possible and yet were somehow still able to disguise the bruises that Narcissa had. Remembering how he had been apprehended Kitnandor immediately began a conversation.

"Why did you shoot me?" Kitnandor asked almost dumbly as he was expecting an 'it was just a prank bro' answer.

"Why did you not kill me?" Narcissa answered in reply. Kitnandor stared blankly at the girl before he realised what she was referencing.

"It was against the Jedi code." Kitnandor said carefully not trying to antagonise the mentally distraught girl.

"Against the code?! Against the bloody code?! Are you fucking serious?! Are you telling me that some dumb rules are the only thing that stopped you from putting my monster of a 'husband' behind bars?!" Narcissa spat.

"Yes it was. I did it to save you." Kitnandor replied trying to get Narcissa on his side. Narcissa turned sharply with pure venom in her eyes.

"Save me? You think you saved me? It would have been better to kill me. Do you have any idea about the pain I have suffered after your failure? The nights I have spent bleeding almost to death? Do you have any idea? It is because of you that I am who I am now. And because of that you will suffer. My 'husband' despite all of his evil has let me do whatever I want with you. I intend to make good use of that." Narcissa concluded letting loose a truly cold smile. Kitnandor grimaced; He had no idea what was in for him but the chances are it would be very bad.

 **Shaak and Kitnandor's apartment**

"I don't believe them!" Shaak shouted venting her obvious rage at the council. Not only had the council denied her request to search for Kitnandor they had also refused to allow Shaak to even continue training Siri.

"I get your point." Xeraph said slowly. Although, she was trying to be angry at the council as well (honestly that was not too challenging) it was amusing how they had handed Kitnandor to the dark side on a silver platter. All that she needed to do now was arrange a tragic 'accident' for Shaak Ti and then he would easily fall. As for arranging that tragic 'accident': Xeraph already had a plan for that.

"Pack your things." Xeraph said. Shaak glanced up sharply.

"What the?" Shaak asked. "Where are we going?"

"To save your boyfriend." Xeraph said with a wink.

"But we don't know where he is." Shaak said stammering.

"You see Shaak. In the modern galaxy there is something called a tracker. It allows one to locate lost possessions or in this case rescue someone from one of the most ruthless slave traders in the galaxy." Xeraph said with her voice filled with sarcasm.

"But how?" Shaak asked getting increasingly excited.

"In his light sabre. He may not have it on him but they go for a lot on the black market. It won't just be thrown away." Xeraph said.

"Thank you Siri." Shaak said with tears in her eyes.

"Thank me when we rescue Kitnandor. Now lets get moving!" Xeraph shouted.

Hiring a ship to get off planet was easy. Xeraph pumping in the coordinates was even easier.

"So Siri… Where is Kitnandor?" Shaak asked.

"Yavin IV" Xeraph replied sending the ship into hyperspace.

 **Yavin IV**

Narcissa prowled around the chained Kitnandor whilst taunting the helpless Jedi.

"I did a bit of research you know? As it turns out the code you hold in such high regard is nothing compared to the other things you have gotten up too. Tell me: how long have you been with master Ti?" Narcissa asked. In reply Kitnandor merely stared up at Narcissa not honouring her with a reply.

"I hope she finds us here. That way I can tear apart your family like you did to mine." Narcissa spat not even bothering to hide her contempt for Kitnandor.

"I did not tear apart your family Narcissa." Kitnandor said slowly.

"Did you now?" Narcissa replied sarcastically. "I bet you don't even care do you? I bet that you forgot about your mistakes and moved on like the coward you are!" Narcissa shouted. That was a mistake. Kitnandor could survive most taunts but what he could not handle was someone telling him that he did not care.

With inhuman power through the force (and his anger) Kitnandor broke the chains binding him and lashed out at Narcissa breaking her spine with a brutal force push. With another force push he broke down the cell door and escaped into the base of Jerec. Moving quickly he slipped through the winding, dark corridors and out of the structure (whilst evading guards) and entered into the great outdoors. The planet he was on was Yavin IV. Jumping onto a speeder bike, Kitnandor slipped into the night.

 **Yavin IV (the next day)**

Shaak and Xeraph had been observing Jerec's base for about three hours. The building was an extensive modern structure that ruined the natural beauty of the planet.

"So are we going to storm it?" Xeraph asked eager for a fight.

"Something is off. There are barely any guards. I think it may be a trap." Shaak said.

"Then me might as well spring it." Xeraph replied already walking towards the base with purposeful strides.

"Siri wait!" Shaak shouted but in seeing Xeraph continue to move stopped her opposition and followed. Slipping down into the foliage next too the base Shaak and Xeraph prepared to storm the building. Suddenly the doors opened!

First two Twi'lek came out followed by a dark haired girl on a wheel chair. Then a human male came out holding a heavy blaster.

"You see. I told you! There is nothing out here!" One of the Twi'lek shouted towards the girl.

"I know there is something." The girl said.

"Narcissa, maybe we should go back inside." The human said again to the girl on the wheel chair. "We are the only guards left and being outside exposes to an attack from the Jedi." The human male continued unwittingly giving his life away. That was all Shaak and Xeraph needed.

The pair rushed out of the undergrowth hacking down the two Twi'lek within seconds. The human managed to pull off one blaster shot before Shaak decapitated him. Instinctively Narcissa threw herself out of her wheel chair (forgetting that she broke her spine) and tried to make a run for it. Shaak picked Narcissa up with the force and began to drag Narcissa back to where she started.

"Please don't kill me. I did nothing wrong. I know nothing." Narcissa begged weakly.

"I'll be the judge of that." Shaak hissed menacingly before digging through Narcissa's brain. At first Shaak tried to be gentle but pretty quickly Shaak stumbled across the 'fun' Narcissa had with Kitnandor. After that the girl stood no chance. Shaak ruthlessly ripped through Narcissa's mind tearing into parts of it that were not even necessary to find Kitnandor. Narcissa's life as the 'wife' of Jerec was an interesting story. Under different circumstances it would have made a good hollow drama. The only difference was that this holo drama would not have a happy ending. With a reluctant sigh Shaak let go of Narcissa and then proceeded to break all of Narcissa's bones.

The girl gave a great shriek of pain as Shaak and Xeraph left the clearing. Narcissa was on the floor. Her being had been broken by Jerec, her mind and bones had been broken by Shaak and now the girl was shattered across the forest floor. That was where Narcissa had died. But truly the girl on the inside had died a long time before that. All was left was a bitter empty husk consumed by the sadness and anger in her life.

Shaak and Xeraph walked in silence. Shaak was trying to come to grips with how brutal she had been with Narcissa and Xeraph was getting over her shock about Shaak's brutality. They had recovered Kitnandor's sabre from the base earlier and began to set camp in a clearing.

"I will see if I can hunt a trail. You stay here and set up the camp." Shaak instructed. Xeraph nodded in reply. As soon as Shaak was out of sight Xeraph contacted Sidious.

 _"It's about time Xeraph!" Sidious snapped._

 _"Forgive me master. It is hard to contact you with a Jedi master breathing down your shoulders. I see that Tisiphone has arrived." Xeraph said._

 _"Indeed. It was long overdue." Sidious said._

 _"Three Sith now… I don't suppose you are going to turn another so there is nice od number?" Xeraph said in a sarcastic tone._

 _"As a matter of fact there is already a fourth." Sidious said._

 _"What? Who?" Xeraph asked shocked._

 _"I presume you have heard of Count Dooku? But no more questions Xeraph! I want your report."_

 _"Very well." Xeraph said before beginning to fill Sidious in on the events of the past few days. Suddenly Xeraph heard Shaak returning. "Shaak is returning. Very well lady Xeraph. Keep me in the loop." Sidious said ending the call._

"Who's Xeraph?" Shaak asked entering Siri's tent.

"Oh just a character from a book I am listening too in my spare time." Xeraph said thinking quickly. Shaak frowned obviously noticing the weakness in the excuse but was also too tired to challenge it.

"They have headed north. We begin the chase tomorrow." Shaak said.

"Very well. Goodnight." Xeraph said. Shaak nodded in reply and then began to stare up into the night sky.

"I will find you Kitnandor. If anyone or anything gets between us I will destroy it." Shaak said with determination in her voice. That steely determination would carry her through the coming days but it would also define the events to come…

 **Jerec's camp**

Romeo (the human on sentry duty) was terrified. He had heard rumours of how the Jedi they were hunting was able to sneak up on someone without them even knowing it and dispatch them in a single strike. He wished that he was left behind to guard Narcissa. The girl was far fairer than Jerec (granted that was not saying much at all). He would have given anything to be kicking back with a cup of caff.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the surrounding undergrowth. Cautiously Romeo approached the bushes only to have his neck snapped by the force.

Wearing the cloths of the dead sentry Kitnandor snuck into Jerec's camp. No one even bothered giving Kitnandor a second look. The Jedi knight only had one purpose in mind: to kill Jerec.

During his silent infiltration of the camp Kitnandor felt a small warning in the force. All of a sudden, stun bolts rained down from every side on the Jedi knight. Instinctively Kitnandor reached for his sabre but realised with horror that it was nowhere to be found. Cursing under his breath he tried unsuccessfully to dodge the stun bolts. Unfortunately, it was not long before one bolt caught Kitnandor square in the chest knocking him unconscious.

 **Shaak's camp**

"We need to go now." Shaak said to Xeraph even though the padawan had barely an hours sleep.

"What? Why?" Xeraph asked groggily.

"Something's wrong; we need to move!" Shaak shouted frantically as she ran where the force told her. Xeraph followed trying to figure out how Shaak was able to run so quickly in the thick undergrowth. It must have been her love for Kitnandor. Perhaps somehow that linked in with compassion, which was a form of weak anger. It would be worth looking into but for now Xeraph has more important issues.

After about fifteen minutes of tearing through the undergrowth Shaak stopped suddenly leaving Xeraph running straight into Shaak.

"What's wrong?" Xeraph asked. Shaak put her finger to her lips and pointed towards a clearing on the edge of a large cliff with a river at the bottom. Inside there were Jerec's thugs who were laughing, drinking and pointing towards Kitnandor. He was strung up with four ropes and was hung upside-down. Jerec was prowling around the Jedi occasionally stabbing him with a shock staff.

Shaak turned to Xeraph and pointed to the camp. Then Shaak counted down from three with her fingers. Preparing for the charge Jedi and Sith rushed the camp.

The fight was short and bloody. Jerec suffered a sharp kick in the chest and a deflected blaster bolt to the leg early on in the fight. Seeing their leader fall the rest of the thugs broke and ran. In a very un-Jedi like fashion Shaak and Xeraph pulled the thugs back to them one by one and killed them all.

After the melee subsided Kitnandor and Shaak embraced for a solid minute. It was obvious that despite her limited experience with the two as a couple that they cared deeply for each other. After letting the pair embrace for a while longer Xeraph finally spoke up.

"I hate to be the one to break up this romantic moment but what are we going to do with this one?" Xeraph asked referring to Jerec.

"Honestly the answer seems pretty obvious to me. But I am more curious about how you managed to find me so quickly." Kitnandor said expertly deflecting the unpleasant topic of Jerec's fate.

"I put a tracker in your light sabre." Xeraph said tossing the weapon towards Kitnandor. Then Kitnandor opened it up and removed the tracker.

"I would rather that you did not know my location at all times Siri." Kitnandor said with some amusement in his voice.

"Fair enough master. But, you still have not answered my question. What do you want to do with Jerec?" Xeraph asked pressing her master for an answer.

"Honestly I don't know. But how about you Siri?" Kitnandor asked placing the question on his Padawan.

"Me? I think we should kill him." Xeraph said bluntly. There was a moment of silence as the two Jedi took in the suggestion. On the surface it seemed like the kind of thing that a foolhardy padawan would suggest in a fit of rage but there was actually a different motive to Xeraph's suggestion. She wanted to know how much Kitnandor respected the code. If he said yes to execution then he primed and ready to be turned. If not more manipulation would be needed. Unfortunately, Kitnandor had a very Jedi like answer.

"I do not think executing him is the right choice. Even a man as disgusting as Jerec deserves a trial." Kitnandor said slowly. Shaak nodded in agreement. It was hard for Xeraph to disguise her flare of anger. Obviously more manipulation would be needed. But then another husky voice entered the conversation.

"You should listen to the blond one. Not that it would save you." The voice originated from Jerec. With horror Xeraph realised that the man was carrying a bomb.

Everything then began to happen in slow motion. Jerec pressed the button on his bomb letting lose an unearthly bang! Kitnandor lunged in front of Shaak Ti taking the majority of the blast. And Xeraph shielded herself. The force of the explosion blasted Kitnandor off the side of the cliff along with his light sabre whilst, Jerec had been consumed by the fires of his bomb. After the explosion died down there was a Sith and a Jedi standing on the top of a cliff inside a devastated clearing…

Kitnandor had sacrificed himself to save Shaak Ti. But, little did he know that his 'sacrifice' lead to a far worse fate for both of them.

 **A/N Dun Dun Dun! Well that was the chapter. Did you love it? did you hate it? please tell me a in a review. also before you ask: Kitnandor is alive, for now… I am so sorry this one took so long to write but whilst writing it I also planned out the rest of this story, started writing another story which will essentially be dark Leia and took a holiday. So yeah… anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also, I really regretted killing off Narcissa so quickly. I feel like at some point I may write a short novel explaining her time with Jerec because there is a real story to be told from her eyes. But that is a plan for another day…**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N A lot and I mean a lot comes together in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

 **The Jedi temple**

"And that concludes my report fellow masters of the council." Shaak stated summing up the rescue and death of Kitnandor.

"Very well. Do you have anything to add Padawan Tachi?" Mace Windu said asking for Xeraph's thoughts almost as an afterthought.

"Actually I do masters." Xeraph said letting the surprise at her speaking up ripple across the chamber. "I believe that Kitnandor is still alive." Xeraph stated firmly. In actual honestly it was Shaak who had the hunch that Kitnandor may be alive. But, Xeraph had a far better excuse as to why she knew.

"What gives you this belief Padawan Tachi?" Mace Windu asked.

'Well as I am sure all of the masters on this council know, masters and Padawan's form a special bond in which they can use to communicate. I have one such bond and whilst, it is not truly developed yet I can still gather very basic emotions. If died I would not feel anything." Xeraph said.

"Discuss this we will. Possibility of a rescue mission, there is." Yoda stated. "Rest you should."

"Thank you masters Xeraph said pulling off her classic mocking bow."

In the end the council voted 6-2 in favour of not sending a rescue mission. Shaak was predictably furious.

"Are trying to tell me that the council is unwilling to take enough time to look for one Jedi?!" Shaak shouted after the vote finished. "Until this order decides to actually look after it's members you can rely on me to not give any input or vote!" Shaak shouted. After that outburst she stormed out of the chamber. Xeraph was then left standing awkwardly in the chamber.

"Anything to say about Shaak TI you have?" Yoda asked Xeraph.

"She's pissed off masters. It goes against a lot of what she had been taught to just leave a Jedi out by them self. I also think that she and Kitnandor may be closer than just friends." Xeraph said subtly telling the council of Shaak and Kitnandor's relationship (although, not to the extent that the relationship was currently at).

"Discuss this the council will." Yoda stated. "Leave you must." The Jedi grandmaster said.

"Very well masters." Xeraph said bowing. As she walked out of the chamber she shot a dirty look towards Tyrannus formerly known as Dooku. With luck the man would do exactly what she wanted him to do.

As Xeraph walked out of the chamber and down the turbo lift Tyrannus spoke: "Masters, I know I have made it clear that I soon intend to leave this order but I believe the council should adjourn for a few hours. We have committed to multiple decisions and I think we all deserve a break." Tyrannus said carefully. There was a murmur of approval across the council.

"It seems the mood of the council is clear." Mace Windu said. "Meeting adjourned."

As soon as the meeting was adjourned Tyrannus power walked to his chambers almost running over a new initiate of the Jedi of the Jedi order. As soon as he arrived in his chambers Dooku immediately switched on his comm.

 _"An'ya Kuro?" Tyrannus asked. He had used a voice converter to make his voice seem like Mace Windu's._

 _"What does the council wish me to do master Windu?" An'ya asked._

 _"We have voted to terminate Kitnandor. The Jedi has been forming attachments with other Jedi. We believe terminating him may destroy other Jedi's attachments allowing other Jedi to remain with the code."_

 _"Terminating him? Surely Revan's cure may be more effective?" An'ya asked. Even one of the most pro-code and conservative Jedi was hesitant about terminating another Jedi for breaking the code._

 _"The man has always been a trouble maker. Even when he was successfully doing missions he continuously flaunted the code. The only exception to that is Felucia, which, was a failure on every level. We believe he may turn to the dark side soon. After all, the Sith lord does need a new apprentice. I have sent you his last known coordinates. Good luck." Tyrannus concluded. Believing she understood the 'gravity' of the situation An'ya spoke again:_

 _"Very well master Windu. The councils vote will be fulfilled." An'ya stated ending the call._

After the comm call ended Dooku could not help but let loose a grin of satisfaction. When An'ya attacked Kitnandor the man would give into his anger and would surely fall. After that, Dooku would be ready to snap him up. Not only would this increase Dooku's favour with Sidious but it would also humiliate Xeraph who had been trying to turn the Jedi for years now.

 **Yavin IV**

Kitnandor groaned as he awoke. He had an ice pack on his head and had his leg bandaged. As his vision returned he began to take in his surroundings. He was in a temple of the kind that was littered across Yavin IV. Suddenly an older man slid into his line of sight. Obviously this was the man that had tended to Kitnandor.

"How long was I out?" Kitnandor asked tiredly.

"About twenty-four hours." The man replied. "I think you will be picked up soon."

"How would you know that?" Kitnandor asked.

"It's incredibly difficult to explain." The old man said. "Follow me." He said gesturing to another building in what seemed to be an old temple complex. As Kitnandor entered the building the door suddenly closed behind him. Darkness seemed to snuff out every bit of the building until there was suddenly a light that appeared before Kitnandor. The light enveloped until it showed two separate bubbles. One was obviously Kitnandor charging into the Jedi temple. But, that vision then split into two again. One showed Kitnandor charging in wearing a black cape (obviously the robes of a Sith) and wielding a double bladed red light sabre. Although, the thought of turning to the dark side terrified Kitnandor he knew with a sickening certainty that it was possible.

Desperately Kitnandor tried to look before the vision of him charging into the temple and he was met with a vision of him walking into the temple with Shaak in his arms. The vision seemed to be saying that by staying in the order he would be led into the dark side. But, Kitnandor struggled to understand how being with Shaak could ever lead him to the dark side.

Then he looked forward in that bubble and saw himself with Shaak. Suddenly he unleashed a great rage of anger and drew his light sabre killing the woman he loved. For Kitnandor that was the last straw. If even one of the visions inside this string were true he was leaving the order. It seemed that staying would only seal his wife's fate.

As if confirming his thoughts the vision on the other side of the chamber showed Kitnandor walking away from the Jedi temple and fading into dust. Then it showed Shaak charging into the temple with a red sabre blazing. Obviously by leaving the order Kitnandor sacrificed his wife to the dark side. That conflicted the Jedi again but the next vision broke his confliction.

It was Shaak again and it was obviously that in this vision she was still a Sith but was also heavily pregnant. Shaak was talking to another Sith who also seemed to be a Twi'lek (Kitnandor could tell due to the Lekku). Suddenly a little boy ran up to Shaak (who was about five years old). The boy looked like a smaller version of Kitnandor. He had the same slightly smug expression and kept the brown hair. He also had orange skin and blue eyes which were probably inherited from his mother.

"Mummy please teach, me a trick with the force. Please!" The boy begged. Shaak sighed. It was obvious that her pregnancy was preventing her from doing much at all. Then the Twi'lek stepped in understanding Shaak's position.

"Alright trouble. How about I teach you a trick instead?" The Twi'lek said allowing her to be lead away by the boy. As the Twi'lek was dragged through the doorway Shaak gave a silent nod of thanks.

Finally the visions faded and the door to the chamber opened. As Kitnandor came outside the old man did not greet him like he expected. Instead was greeted by his sabre with a note attached to it.

 _Remember the future is always in motion. But, your choice today will affect many generations to come._

Kitnandor read the note through twice memorising it before a female voice sliced through his thoughts.

"Going somewhere Sith?" An'ya asked charging at Kitnandor with her light sabre raised.

 **Coruscant (12 hours earlier)**

Shaak and Xeraph were getting into the same ship they had used for their previous outing to Yavin IV. Because, of that the ship already had many of the essential supplies needed. Shaak was lost in her own thoughts. Her entire life she had been taught that the Jedi code was the most effective doctrine for any force sensitive to live by. But over time many of its key aspects had been slowly unravelled for her.

Shaak had believed that the idea of attachments being banned was stupid for a long time and had actively broke that part of the code. But she was still a Jedi.

Then the thing about killing people… Whilst, Shaak would forever respect Kitnandor for upholding the code in that sense Shaak knew that if that limitation of the code was not there then the Jedi could probably complete their jobs to a much higher level of effectiveness. That was further confirmed by how sparing Jerec had led to the whole mess with her next issue about the Jedi.

That was that the council had completely lost its way. The fact that she had been taught to always respect the council's judgment on matters and how that democracy was the fairest way of making decisions. But if eight people could not make the right choices what hope did thousands of galaxies have? At this point a dictatorship was looking pretty good in Shaak's eyes.

Using Shaak being lost in thought Xeraph took that opportunity to quickly communicate to her master.

 _"We are searching for Kitnandor now master. Shaak believes that he is still alive. If so I believe Shaak's death would push him to the dark. But, if I may say master Shaak is beginning to doubt the Jedi as well. I think she could just as much potential in the dark as Kitnandor." Xeraph said slowly. It took a little while for Sidious to take in all the information he had been given but when he did he replied well._

 _"Make turning Kitnandor your priority. If Shaak can fall as well then do it. But, try to dispose of one or the other. A death would drive the other into the dark side even further. If Kitnandor is dead then turn Shaak with all due haste. Her position on the council may be useful. My shuttle is behind yours by about fifteen standard minutes. When the time comes for one to fall contact me via are bond lady Xeraph."_

As soon as Sidious concluded that statement Shaak walked into Xeraph's room. "

"Xeraph has a bond now?" Shaak asked fairly amused. "I must say that holo book of yours sounds quite interesting. You must show me it when we rescue Kitnandor." Shaak said. "Now lets get a move on. I sense someone else is also on Kitnandor and they will be arriving at the planet two standard hours before us."

Xeraph nodded in reply.

 **Yavin IV (12 standard hours later)**

Using her bond with Kitnandor Shaak quickly located his location but due to the dense nature of the trees she had to land the ship about a mile away from the temple grounds. As Shaak and Xeraph landed in the clearing and got out of the ship Shaak suddenly doubled over in pain.

"We need to move now!" She shouted before making a dash in the direction of the temple grounds. Xeraph followed again having to use the dark side to keep up with Shaak's breakneck pace. As Shaak honed in on Kitnandor's force signature she suddenly had to stop due to a massive cliff over looking a temple complex. The complex itself was on a cliff but that was not what Shaak focused on. She focused on with increasing anger the sight of Kitnandor. The man she loved with all her heart being driven back by An'ya Kuro. Steeling herself for the force assisted jump to confront the duelling pair and holding back her increasing anger at An'ya Shaak stared down at the scene. Kitnandor was limping due to a wound on his leg. With a sickening sense of dread Shaak looked down at the scene one more time before more making her jump. It was then that her anger was finally starting to get the better of her. She watched with helpless horror as Kitnandor's leg was slashed and then was force pushed down the exceptionally massive cliff. At first Shaak held out hope that Kitnandor may have miraculously survived the fall like the way he did with his previous fall but then their mental connection began to get severed. It was then that Shaak knew that she would lose Kitnandor forever.

Finally Shaak's rage was unleashed. With an exceptional jump and a slash Shaak immediately confronted An'ya. The duel was not even close. An'ya was already tired from fighting Kitnandor and Shaak was also using the dark side. With an exceptional Makashi stance that was made more aggressive by the dark side. With a flourish Shaak disarmed An'ya having the Jedi at her mercy.

"Why did you kill him?!" Shaak shouted her fit of rage still not over.

"Mace Windu said that the council instructed it. I fulfilled my orders." An'ya said desperately trying to keep her own life. With a great shriek of rage at the betrayal of the Jedi Shaak did not realise that she was unleashing a huge amount of force energy destroying the near by buildings. Whilst Shaak was having her tantrum An'ya watched with horror knowing she could be next.

"Are you going to kill me?" An'ya asked. Shaak stopped unleashing her rage on the world around her and looked at An'ya with determination in her eyes. Was she going to kill her? Suddenly a voice began to speak inside Shaak's head.

 _"She killed the man you love. She deserves death."_

 _"That's true but I'm still a Jedi." Shaak said to the voice._

 _"The Jedi ordered the death of Kitnandor. No Jedi deserves mercy from you." The voice sensed Shaak's further hesitation and sent another message. "Give into your anger. Give into your hate of an outdated code. Kill her. Kill her. DO IT!" The voice shouted._

It was with those last two syllables that Shaak drove her sabre into the chest of An'ya. As the corpse fell to the floor Shaak happened to glance down into a puddle. Her eyes were like two yellow suns glowing in what was now becoming the evening. Shaak blinked about three times before she finally got her eyes back to their natural blue colour.

"What are you going to do now?" Xeraph asked finally approaching Shaak. The Togruta thought for a long hard minute before finally coming too an answer.

"I will find the Sith lord. I know he is out their somewhere. And when I do. Well then I don't know. Perhaps he will kill me for pleasure. Or perhaps he will make me his apprentice. In which case; the next time I see you Siri you will be my enemy." Shaak said before staring up into the sky again. Finally she broke her concentration and let her eyes glow there previous yellow. "Although, it seems that I have already found his apprentice. How long have you been a Sith Xeraph?" Shaak asked turning to Xeraph.

"Around four years." A cold male voice stated. Shaak turned rapidly to see a caped figure join the conversation. Immediately Xeraph bowed.

"I heard that you wanted to become my apprentice. I am pretty sure bowing to me goes along with that." Sidious stated. After that statement Shaak bowed along with Xeraph.

"I pledge myself to your teachings master." Shaak said bowing too Sidious.

"Good. I sense you will become a powerful Sith. Rise Darth Leucosia." Sidious stated christening his latest Sith. Darth Leucosia rose to take her place at Sidious' side.

"Thank you master." Darth Leucosia said.

"As much as you despise the Jedi it would be vital to our cause to have a Sith on the Jedi council. Our current Sith on the council shall be leaving the order soon." Sidious ordered. Leucosia bowed.

"Your wish is my command master."

 **Eight months later**

Leucosia was on a solo mission for the Jedi and the Sith. It was just a 'coincidence' that recently Darth Mauls ship had been uncovered with the coordinates of Sidious' base on Mustafar. Now Leucosia was entering the fiery base and was greeted by a heavily pregnant Tisiphone.

"Ready to become a Jedi again?" Leucosia asked.

"Ready as I will every be." Tisiphone answered. In a sense the two could get along very well. Both had lost their husbands to the Jedi and both had been discarded by the order. It was under those circumstances that the pair formed a bond of sorts.

When presenting Tisiphone to the order as the long lost Eldra Kaitis Shaak did not blame many of the council for being suspicious. It infuriated Shaak that the council did not even bother acknowledging how they had ordered Kitnandor's death. It was still a sore spot for Leucosia.

After an intense debate a motion was passed allowing Eldra to stay in the order. After that another motion was passed to allow Eldra's child to be raised as a Jedi. It was decided that the child would be named Vile. This was because according to Mace Windu: 'Nothing can come good of raising the rape born child of a Sith.' Of course no Jedi on the council knew how far Tisiphone's relationship extended with Maul.

It was then that the order's fate was sealed. It was infiltrated by three Sith, had another Sith pulling the strings of the republic and the final Sith creating the separatist alliance.

All the Sith had to do was wait for all the pieces to align before they toppled the republic. But, Sidious had set his eyes on the greatest prize of all: the chosen one…

 **A/N Bet you did not expect this chapter to come out so quickly right? I hope you enjoyed!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N This chapter is set right after AOTC. The opening scene happens on the same day as Dooku greets Sidious. Enjoy!**

Sidious observed his Sith order coldly as they sat down for an extended meeting. At the bottom of the table sat his two youngest Sith. Darth Levi (Formerly known as Vile Kaitis) and Darth Ceres (formerly known as Ahsoka Tano). Both were about the same age and were as close as brother and sister. Levi was the son of Tisiphone. He combined his mothers subtle skill with words and his fathers brutally aggressive fighting style. Whilst, being Twi'lek in species (with a bloody red colour befitting of a Sith) his Twi'lek curled upwards instead of falling down. This meant that the Lekku formed two Zabrack like horns. These were the only signs of Levi's joint heritage.

Then there was Ceres. Leucosia had found Ceres at the age of three. Ceres was going to be taken by a slaver who was pretending to be a Jedi. It was wasteful for such a powerful being. Even the Jedi could make better use of her than a pathetic slaver. After Leucosia had revealed what the slaver intended to do with her Ceres had been very happy to leave her family behind. Unfortunately, it seemed that Xeraph may have burned down the wrong house by 'accident' and 'accidently' killed Ceres' entire family. On that day Ceres had her first taste of the power the dark side gave (with a bit of nudging from Leucosia). Having your first kill at the age of three is impressive even for a Sith.

On the next level of the table were Leucosia (formerly known as Shaak Ti) and Tyrannus (formerly known as Dooku). It was ironic that two ex-Jedi both of which absolutely despised each other for the others presumed arrogance. It was one of the most amusing things ever to see two Sith so pitted against each other and constantly trying to screw each other over. As of now Leucosia had a slight advantage of Tyrannus in the Sith order. She had managed to expose one of Tyrannuse's apprentices who had been trained a bit too much in the dark side. It was a shame really because Ventress had such huge potential. But, credit had to go to Leucosia for exposing her and humiliating Tyrannus so effectively. Both of them were talented Sith in their own rights but both would end up playing a supporting role in the bid for the next ruler of the galaxy (if Sidious ever died that was). Both would also be on opposite sides of a civil war.

Finally at the head of the table (second and third only to Sidious himself) were Xeraph and Tisiphone.

Tisiphone was Sidious' least favourite Sith. She had so much potential, making it extremely aggravating when she did not use it. Tisiphone could easily become a master at manipulating the world around her (she could become almost as good as Sidious at it) but the issue was that she was not willing to dedicate herself to it. Instead she had spent most her time as a Jedi knight gathering the temple gossip and having fun at bars. Sidious sensed that it was Tisiphone's way of escape from her grief with Maul's death. As pathetic as it was that she still cared for that pathetic Zabrack (any apprentice killed i by a Jedi deserved to rot for all Sidious cared). Sidious also doubted Tisiphone's aptitude to rule. She had manipulation skills and was a solid battle field commander but Tisiphone just lacked the patience to rule and enjoyed her more laid back life too much. The only way Tisiphone would claim the throne was if Leucosia and Levi persuaded her too. But, despite all of her flaws Tisiphone did have her fingers wrapped around about half of the senate through: blackmail or bribery. In that sense she would become vital to keeping Sidious in power.

Finally there was Xeraph. The blond haired human female was by far Sidious' favourite. Unlike all his other apprentices Xeraph had no apparent weakness. She was not held back by love like Leucosia and Tisiphone (although, Sidious was certain that Xeraph would fuck Obi-Wan given the chance). She was not held back by old age like Tyrannus. And, she had more political capacity than Ceres and Levi combined. Xeraph had learned the art of politics from being Sidious' head of security for the past five years (the Agri-corps and proven to much for Xeraph to handle). Over that time Sidious had effectively groomed her into becoming a perfect Sith. Xeraph was cold, calculating, absolutely ruthless and most of all had a burning anger that would fuel her through any ordeal. Sidious knew that if any Sith could rebuild the order from scratch it was Xeraph. She had learned from the best after all.

And, there was finally the issue of the meeting at hand. The chosen one would be turned. Anakin Skywalker was the most powerful force user in existence and turning him would allow the Sith order to reach new height's. It would amuse Sidious to see how each of his apprentices would react to the chosen one being among their ranks.

"Good evening my apprentices." Sidious said.

"Good evening master." The six Sith replied in unison.

"As I am sure many of you know the clone wars has began." Sidious snarled. "It is imperative that we continue with our covert operations in this final stage of the grand plan. Leucosia! Your report on the council." Sidious ordered.

"Thank you master. The council has voted to enter the war on the republics side and make the Jedi generals. Many of the Jedi believe that the war will be over quickly. I intend to stall the councils decision making by appealing to the code through the devastating effects that this war will create as well as stirring up a general dislike for the Jedi." Leucosia stated finishing her report. It was obvious that the Togruta Sith enjoyed using the Jedi code to mess with the council as well as stirring up unease inside the order. As soon as Leucosia sat down Tyrannus stood up immediately and began to recite his report.

"The Confederacy is completely under my control. Only a few of the higher ups even want peace. I have put deliberate flaws inside our governmental system as well our manufacturing lines. These along with the fact that our battle droids are programmed to be crueller will keep war tensions high. I believe that this will make our efforts in increasing war tensions more effective than isolating the Jedi. The cruelty of battle droids will allow you to gain more powers my lord whilst all the incompetence of the Jedi will do is ruin their already falling reputation." Tyrannus stated. The final part of his report was attempting to lower the value of Leucosia's efforts in the constant struggle to gain more favour than her.

"Tisiphone!" Sidious commanded hopping that the Twi'lek would finish her report quickly. She did.

"Nothing to add apart from the fact that I have two thirds of the senate. About a third is blackmail, about a tenth is bribery and for the rest. Well let's just say that they are quite into me." Tisiphone said flashing a hypnotic smile at the last sentence. After Tisiphone had finished her 'report' Sidious glanced in the direction of Ceres and Levi. It was rare that either of them had anything to report and it was obvious that today was no exception. The two were best friends. They were like brother and sister. They were continuously bickering yet they knew each other exceptionally well and had a very good sibling relationship.

"Very well. I have a new announcement to make. Their will be a new Sith added to the order at the end of this war." Sidious said. he gave a few seconds to watch the reactions of his apprentices. They were all surprised because the order had remained relatively stagnant as far as new members went (Levi and Ceres had became proper Sith five years ago). After the initial shock came the curiosity. They all wanted to know who Sidious had picked and who this Sith would be likely to side with.

"Our new Sith shall be the chosen one. Anakin Skywalker." Sidious stated clearly. Immediately there were a wide variety of reactions across the table. Tisiphone smiled as if she was expecting it all along (she wasn't). Xeraph tried to disguise her fear at possibly being replaced as the heir to Sidious' empire (when it finally arrived).

Tyrannus tried (and failed) to keep an impassive expression. Despite being the oldest in the new order he did not hold out much hope that Sidious had the most faith in him. Tyrannus would have to prove his worth in order to not risk his position being taken.

Ceres snapped to attention a bit more at the mention of Skywalker. At this Levi shot her a teasing comment. Ceres retaliated with what was akin to a low level growl.

The only one not remotely surprised was Leucosia. In fact the look on her face said something along the lines of: it's about time! This was only natural because Leucosia knew more than any other Sith how badly the council was screwing Anakin over as well as, his current relationship with a certain senator. After all, it had been Leucosia who had extracted the scene of Padmé and Anakin kissing before the 'execution' at Geonosis and it was also Leucosia who had taken out the time to watch Anakin and Padmé's wedding.

"Leucosia and Tisiphone will handle the general manipulation of Anakin inside of the order." Sidious ordered. "I want the rest of you to keep on doing what your doing." Sidious said. "Dismissed!" The Sith master said ending the meeting.

As soon as the meeting ended Sidious, Xeraph and Tyrannus left the room. Tyrannus could not afford to be on Coruscant for any longer than necessary whilst, Xeraph and Sidious needed to head back to the senate to continue controlling the republic.

Levi and Ceres also went their own way together. It was not unusual for the sibling like Sith to go together in most things.

That meant only Tisiphone and Leucosia were left in the meeting chamber. They were discussing the most effective ways to turn Anakin to the dark side.

"I imagine Sidious has his plan to push Skywalker over the edge. But, we still have a role to contribute." Leucosia said. "For starters, Levi and Ceres are getting closer to the point where they can become Padawan's. I recommend that we pull the strings to make sure that they are assigned to Skywalker and Kenobi. One can drive Skywalker towards the dark side and the other will drive a wedge between the pair."

"Sounds good to me. It would be quite amusing to see Ceres as Skywalker's Padawan." The lazy Tisiphone said obviously not wanting to do any planning. Instead the Twi'lek Sith turned the conversation to her favourite topic: gossip.

"What would make that amusing?" Leucosia asked foolishly walking into Tisiphone's new conversation.

"Oh you mean to say you haven't noticed?" Tisiphone asked mockingly. "I'm disappointed in you Leucosia. I thought you were keeping a close eye on Ceres. You do consider her like a daughter after all." Tisiphone teased.

"Nonsense!" Leucosia shouted her yellow eyes glowing brightly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Leucosia. After all, I love my son very dearly." Tisiphone said with an unusual seriousness to her voice. She did not want to ruin a relationship with her closest friend in the Sith order. Leucosia hesitated for a second before finally giving into the truth.

"Perhaps you are right. But, that still does not explain why you think it would be amusing to watch her with Skywalker."

"Well to put it bluntly. I think your daughter has a little crush on Skywalker." Tisiphone said letting her yellow eyes dance at the act of letting lose a little gossip. Leucosia burst into laughter.

"Are you serious Tisiphone? I always thought that you sense of humour dulled ever since you lost Maul but I think it might be returning to you." Leucosia said with much humour in her voice. In actual honesty the thought terrified Leucosia. Ceres was still young and loosing her heart to someone who would likely never return her affection could be very dangerous; especially if Sidious turned Skywalker into another perfect apprentice like Xeraph. Yet, at the same time Leucosia found that with such issues the force tended to find a way.

Even if by some miracle Sidious did not make Skywalker his perfect apprentice; Ceres would forever be nothing but a cheep replacement for the senator of Naboo.

"We will speak of this matter no more." Leucosia stated attempting to regain control over the conversation. "Ceres will be assigned to Skywalker. If what you say is true then I have no doubt that she will overcome that trial above all else." Leucosia said to Tisiphone.

"As you say Leucosia. Tell Ceres that if she ever needs any seduction advice." Tisiphone said with a wink.

 **The chancellor's office**

Sidious and Xeraph stared out of the window before Sidious finally said something to his best apprentice.

"Your worried." It was a statement. Not a question.

"No master." Xeraph replied keeping a cold straight face.

"I do not appreciate it when my apprentices lie to me Xeraph." Sidious said coldly to his apprentice.

"Forgive me master." Xeraph said bowing. Already she was preparing for a lightning blast.

"Watch your ambition Xeraph. The Sith order has been torn apart by similar ambitious fools who do not submit to those more powerful in times before this." Sidious said cautioning Xeraph.

"As you wish master. I will do well to put the Sith order before my own personal desires."

"Very good Xeraph." Sidious hissed. "Now, I think you have some more 'tuition' to do." Sidious said coldly finally looking at his apprentice.

Xeraph flinched. She knew exactly what kind of pain she was about to go through. The worst part was that she now knew that she was nothing but a backup. A plan B apprentice in case Skywalker was killed. The humiliation of all of her struggle just to be replaced by a slave boy only fuelled her rage.

The walls of the chancellor's office were sound proof to disguise Xeraph's screams of pain. Now all they did was disguise her shouts of anger about being replaced…

 **A/N Thank for reading! I am pumping these out as quickly as possible (much faster than I have before). The next few chapters should go over some of ROTS. Then there will be another few chapters before I swing into the OT (sequel anyone?).**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N The opening of this chapter takes place as the chancellor is being captured in ROTS. I hope the time jumps are not too jarring.**

Darth Sidious sat in his office chair watching as the Separatists destroyed their last forces on a fruitless attack on Coruscant. Flanking him on either side was two of his apprentices. Xeraph and Ceres (after leaving the order she joined Sidious' security team).

"Leucosia should be arriving soon." Sidious hissed. His two Sith nodded in reply.

"How many Jedi has she brought with her master?" Xeraph asked always eager to finish off a few Jedi.

"Leucosia has brought four Jedi with her." Sidious said calmly.

"They are arriving." Ceres hissed. "Chancellor. It is of supreme importance that you move to your bunker!" Ceres shouted in the role of Ahsoka Tano.

"I refuse to abandon my people to these Separatist scum," Sidious replied fitting very well into the role of the stubborn leader of the republic.

"With respect Chancellor your people will be in a must worse state if are killed or captured. For the good of the republic I will forcibly take you to your bunker if you refuse to be escorted." Leucosia said. The Jedi around her nodded in agreement.

"My security would stop you." Sidious said confidently.

"Good joke sir. Your safety is our top priority and we would be pretty crappy security if we left you in an unguarded location." Xeraph said. "As head of security it is my duty to do whatever it takes for your safety and if that includes forcibly taking you down to your bunker then so be it." Xeraph said. Nothing would give her more pleasure than carrying her master down to his bunker. Who knows? She could 'accidently' drop him along the way.

"Very well my friends. If you insist I will follow you." Sidious said dropping the pointless argument. Suddenly a clone's voice crackled through the comm attached to Xeraph's wrist.

 _"Commando droids are scaling the side of the building. Prepare for an assu-" The_ clone shouted before his voice was cut off by a blaster bolt. Right on queue commando droids broke the windows in the Chancellors office. Immediately clone troopers opened fire on the droids and Xeraph drew out a force pike to help fight them back.

"Ahsoka! Get Palpatine to safety. Now!" Xeraph shouted as she stabbed a droid.

Seeing the urgency of the situation the Jedi escorted Sidious to safety out into the previously empty corridor. Immediately Ceres stopped before turning to Leucosia.

"Droids are coming. I will hold them off. Take the secret passage." Ceres said waving her hand, which opened up a door, which was previously hidden.

"Thank you Ahsoka. Take two Jedi to help you." Leucosia said knowing how much Ceres wanted some Jedi blood. After that, Leucosia, Sidious and two Jedi knights ran into the hidden door whilst Ceres and the other knights waited for the droids to arrive. Ceres could have killed them now but there were a lot of droids coming and she might as well use them for all they were worth.

When the droids came down the corridor they were easily dispatched. For the last group of commando droids instead of using her blaster (no one knew Ceres still had light sabres (let alone red ones) Ceres drew her twin red sabres. Both blades were blood read as Ceres held them in her normal reverse grip. Rushing forward with insane speed Ceres cut down the remaining droids with a savage ferocity. Then she turned to the two horrified Jedi.

"You're a Sith!" One of them exclaimed.

"Correct. And, soon you will be dead." Ceres said savagely lurching towards the two Jedi. Immediately a duel began. The two Jedi obviously were adept at working together as they attempted to prevent Ceres from attacking only one of them. At one point in the duel the two Jedi performed downwards slashes at Ceres forcing her to block both sabres at the same time. This was awful for Jar'kai users as it meant they could not dedicate their strength too one attacker. But, Ceres had a neat little trick to deal with this.

She deactivated one sabre letting the Jedi stumble slightly and then with a force push she shoved the Jedi into his partners sabre. Ceres watched in amusement as the Jedi's shocked face quickly turned to anger.

"What's wrong? Did you slip your sabre. You really should be careful you know. Those things are dangerous." Ceres said mockingly only going to provoke the Jedi further.

"You're a monster!" The Jedi shouted slashing wildly.

"Be careful. Anger is not the Jedi way you know?" Ceres chided.

"I'll kill you!" The Jedi shouted not heeding Ceres' mocking but valid warnings.

"Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." Ceres said as she deflected a clumsy swing and stabbed the Jedi through the chest. "Please do come again. It was incredibly amusing cutting you and friend down."

"Darth Ceres. Why did you not leave any for me?" Grievous said walking into the scene.

"Oh I'm sorry Grievous. Are you upset that I ruined your sport for the sake of the operation." Ceres said sarcastically. "Here take their sabres. You can add them to your collection of partial achievements." Ceres said throwing the dead Jedi's sabres to Grievous. "During your fight with the Jedi you slashed the secret door." Ceres said. "It was very bad luck. You also knocked me out but did not have time to check if I was dead." Ceres said slashing the secret door to the bunker.

"Very well" Grievous said before knocking Ceres out cold.

 **The chancellors bunker**

There was a loud thump emanating from the chamber outside the bunker.

"Perhaps we should go and investigate." One of the Jedi suggested.

"That won't be necessary." Leucosia said.

"Why is that Shaak?" The other knight asked.

"Because, your both about to be dead." Leucosia snarled killing both the Jedi with blinding speed.

"Efficient as ever Leucosia." Sidious said as Grievous entered the chamber.

"I would appreciate it if your Sith did not ruin my fun lord Sidious." Grievous said. Before Sidious could reprimand Grievous Leucosia beat the Sith master to the chase.

"Oh Grievous. I would never dream of running your 'fun.'" Leucosia said gently stroking Grievous' metallic face. "But, I think it is for the best of the mission that we do not waste time playing with the Jedi. Speaking of the mission I believe you took the Chancellor hostage meaning I could not capture you; another cowardly move from the droid general of the Separatists. You then used the hostage to escape Coruscant despite my desperate attempts at stopping you." Leucosia said explaining the plan too Grievous in the kind of patronising way that every being hated.

The capture went out exactly as Leucosia explained. With two sabres at the chancellor's throat the republic (and its finest Jedi masters) could do nothing but watch as their leader was taken into space.

 **After Sidious' 'rescue'**

Ceres heard a faint beeping before a shout from a near by nurse. She's alive! The nurse shouted. If it weren't for the fact that it was blatantly illegal (although, not for long) Ceres would have incinerated every nurse in the ward for even daring to touch her. Ceres hated hospitals and she hated being kept in the same place against her will. It reminded her of her short time in jail after being framed by the pathetic Barris.

"How much longer until I can be out?" Ceres asked the nearest nurse.

"I'm very sorry ma'am but you've got another week in here at least." The nurse said nervously knowing Ceres' reputation for hating hospitals. Ceres waved her hand.

"You will sign my release papers now."

"I will sign your release papers now." The nurse replied in a daze.

"After that you will jump out of a speeder to your death." Ceres said already re-growing her malicious streak. After the nurse repeated her other order in a daze she signed Ceres' release papers and left the hospital.

Taking a police speeder Ceres headed back to Sidious' office. After observing Xeraph's smug grin Ceres was certain that the more senior Sith had set her up.

"The chancellor has a mission for you. Unless your too weak to walk that is." Xeraph said.

"Not as weak as you will be after I'm through with you." Ceres replied before walking into her masters office.

"Ah Ceres. Good to see you. Now I believe you are aware of senator Amidala?" Sidious said.

"I know of her."

"Very good. But, do you know her husband?" Sidious asked. Instantly Ceres believed that it would be another basic black-male case. But the identity of Amidala's husband was what surprised Ceres the most.

"Her husband is none other than Anakin Skywalker." Sidious stated already playing on Ceres' crush on Anakin. Instantly Ceres' interest was spiked.

"What do you wish me to do with her master?" Ceres asked already with malicious intent in mind.

"She is pregnant. I want you to cause as much harm to her and her children as possible without any of it showing up on her body. I know that you will be able to effectively my apprentice."

"Your wish is my command master." Ceres said leaving the office.

 **Padmé's apartment**

As Ceres rang the bell to begin her first bout of 'fun' with Amidala she let her jealousy form and brood for a second or two. How was it fair that a fucking politician had caught Anakin's eyes yet Ceres with all of her talents had not? Ceres was still a teenager in many respects. And, her childish crush on Anakin had developed into a full-blown lust and desire for her to possess him; or for him to possess her.

As Padmé opened the door to the apartment her face broke into the classic politicians smile.

"Ahsoka. How may I help you?" Padmé asked.

"Cut the crap senator. I know you are married to Anakin Skywalker." Ceres said already wanting to get down to her fun.

"How do you know? Did Ani tell you?" Padmé asked genuinely concerned. Ceres' rage flared at the sound of a pet name.

"It's called the Sith Amidala!" Ceres shouted. "And, you call me Ceres. Not Ahsoka!" Padmé backed away in fear and made to press her panic button but Ceres stopped Padmé.

"You wouldn't want to do that senator. One more step and your children are dead." Ceres hissed.

"What do you want from me?" Padmé asked in fear.

"Its simple really. I love Anakin more than you do. And, unlike you I actually deserve him." Ceres shouted with her self-centred rage.

"What?" Padmé asked genuinely confused.

"Now then Senator, allow me to explain how this will work. First I will begin by showing you visions. They will show your precious 'Ani' become the Sith he always meant to be. Then they will show you me at my rightful place. By his side." Ceres said.

"Your insane!" Padmé shouted.

"No. I merely want Anakin to be with a being that actually cares about him. After showing you what will happen in the future I will work away on your children. I will make sure to fuck up your internal system so badly that the odds of them even being born with a mother a miniscule. And, if the force somehow decides to spare your pathetic twins." At this point Padmé's mouth opened in shock at having twins but that was hardly the most surprising development of the day. "They will be so tainted by darkness that they will become everything you hate. They, will be powerful and if you are somehow alive to see it. Well, I can only say that I will watch with pleasure as they tear you apart for the dark side." Ceres said finally finishing her monologue.

 **The Jedi council chamber**

"But, what about the droid attack on the Wookies?" Ki adi mundi said. Leucosia could barely contain her scoff at the thought of protecting the walking carpets known as the 'Wookies' Mace Windu interjected.

"Skywalker. What's wrong?" Mace Windu asked pointedly.

"I don't know. But, I have suddenly felt an overwhelming pain inside my head master." Anakin said not knowing that the pain was being caused by Ceres' torture of Padmé. Another flash of pain caused Anakin to collapse on the floor.

"Get too the med bay skywalker!" Mace shouted.

"I will go with him master. I have some experience dealing with mental issues." Leucosia said. Mace nodded in reply. Honestly he always felt something off about Shaak after the death of Kitnandor. He was always grateful to have her out of the council chamber.

 **A few hours later**

"So, Skywalker. Who do you love?" Leucosia asked as Anakin recovered from his mental attack.

"What are you talking about master Ti? I love no one. Attachment is forbidden after all." Anakin said not wanting to give away his wife to a council member.

"Lying is not good Skywalker. I know you love someone. I know because I see the signs myself." Leucosia said.

"What kind of signs are you talking about master?" Anakin asked curious as too how he could disguise his relationship with Padmé.

"Oh a lot of things really. The fact that you disappear from the temple most nights, the fact that you're evasive when it comes to the code's statements on attachment and every time you arrive in Coruscant a certain Senator from Naboo clears her schedule." Seeing Anakin's shock at being figured out so easily Leucosia quickly move in with the second part of her plan.

"Don't worry Skywalker. Your 'secret' is safe with me. I know what you're going through. After all, I pulled similar shit with my husband back in the day." Leucosia said.

"Really?" Anakin asked meekly. There was nothing more surprising than knowing that a renowned Jedi master also was married at one point.

"I tell you your story if you tell me mines?" Leucosia asked.

"Agreed. I will start." Anakin said. He then proceeded to explain how his relationship with Padmé started and his current fears about her dying in childbirth. Then Shaak relayed her own story (placing more emphasis on the cruelty of the Jedi) with a message at the end.

"Enjoy your time with Padmé Skywalker. I know I did not with Kitnandor as much as I should have. Once they are gone you will never get them back. And, if you find a way to save them; grab it with two hands. Saving the one you love is worth selling your own soul." Leucosia said subtly pushing Anakin closer to the dark side.

"Thank you master." Anakin said. "I will consider your words. It is good to have someone to confide in."

"Likewise. If you ever need a chat I will always be listening." Leucosia replied.

 **Sidious' office**

Sitting in his chair Sidious meditated as he watched all his peaces slowly slide into place. It was like a game of Chess. The Jedi (his opponent) were blissfully unaware of the checkmate that Sidious was about to pull off. First Sidious would use Grievous to draw Kenobi out and then use Levi to pin one of the most effective Jedi in place. The sacrifice of Tyrannus had drawn Skywalker into the open and once that peace fell he could begin a general assault on what few Jedi were left. Skywalker would be the jewel in Sidious' new empire. The apprentice that was able to master every Sith technique. Looking into the future Sidious could see a Sith more powerful than any other (which Sidious presumed to be Skywalker). By this Sith's side was a Togruta (obviously Ceres somehow managed to win Skywalker's affections). His order would dominate the galaxy forever. He had won. All he had to do was wait for the force to serve him up Skywalker on a silver platter. The Jedi would soon fall. At this thought Sidious let off a great evil cackle. Soon the galaxy would be his.

 **A/N Damn this is a long on. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this, as we swing into the second part of ROTS in the next chapter (including the rise of Darth Vader). I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N This chapters opening scene takes place when Obi-Wan leaves to kill Grievous. Enjoy! Also, thanks for the review mysterious guest! Also I know this chapter is going to be very jarring (especially the first half) so please put up with me on the regard.**

"So, you're leaving then?" Ceres asked Levi. The son of Maul replied to Ceres:

"Obi-Wan is my Jedi master. I have no choice Ceres."

"I understand that. I will try and leave a couple Jedi alive for you." Ceres said. Levi let loose a great laugh.

"I hope so."

 **Padmé's apartment**

Ceres rang the bell of Padmé's apartment. As soon as Padmé opened the door Ceres marched in and the two had a similar exchange to Ceres' last visit. Then Ceres sat down and lazily waved her hand. Immediately Padmé's memories of the torture she had endured last time Ceres visited returned.

 **The chancellor's office**

"Are you going to kill me?" Sidious asked knowing the answer was no.

"I would certainly like too." Anakin replied with his sabre drawn.

"Kill me and you kill your only chance to save your wife. You can feel her pain. Know that if you kill me that will be it. No children and no wife. All you will earn is the Jedi's false approval." Sidious calmly said tacking advantage of Ceres' torture and Anakin's mistrust of the Jedi.

"I'm going to go to the Jedi and I'm going to tell them who you are. You cannot stop me." Anakin said bravely.

"I make no intent to do so." Sidious replied.

 **The Jedi temple**

"It's Palpatine." Anakin spluttered to Mace Windu.

"What about him?" Mace asked confused

"He's the Sith lord." Anakin replied.

"Are you certain?" Mace asked.

"Positive. He told me himself." Anakin said.

"Very well. I shall go with the council members here to arrest him." Windu said referring to Leucosia and three other Jedi masters. "Wait for my return inside the council chamber." Windu commanded.

"Master Windu. Perhaps it would be best if we brought other Jedi with us as well?" Leucosia suggested. "Palpatine has two force sensitive body guards and perhaps another apprentice. Surely it would be wise to bring more Jedi?" Leucosia asked.

"Agreed." Mace said. They waited for about ten minutes as the other Jedi were gathered. At the end of the gathering there were 6 temple guards, 2 extra masters and five knights (including Tisiphone) as well as the other Jedi Mace was originally planning to take with him.

 **The chancellor's office**

"Ah Mace Windu. I am surprised to hear of the death of general grievous so soon." Sidious said playing the weak old man act very well. Ceres and Xeraph flanked their master preparing to snap into action at a moments notice.

"Your under arrest Chancellor." Windu shouted as he and the other Jedi in the room drew their sabres.

"Are you threatening me master Jedi?" Sidious asked.

"The senate will decide your fate." Mace said coldly.

"I AM THE SENATE!" Sidious screamed as he leaped with inhuman speed to cut down a master. Instantly the room descended into chaos. Ceres and Xeraph attacked the temple guards. Leucosia went to town on two other Jedi masters as well as another knight. Then Tisiphone went after a Jedi master and three knights. Mace and Sidious ended up going at it together. All the duellists did well to keep clear of the lightning fast duel of Mace and Sidious. The temple guards around Ceres and Xeraph were like walls of swirling light as they used their sabre staffs to prevent the two Sith from do anything but block. Tisiphone was outnumbered four too one. In that sense it was good that she was using Soresu otherwise she would be royally screwed. Leucosia was dancing with her opponents. She was weaving delicate patterns with her sabre as she effortlessly dodged her opponent's attacks. Then with a delicate Makashi thrust she cut down the knight that was facing her only leaving two masters left to face the Togruta Sith and her red blade.

Despite the early casualty the Jedi looked like they were doing quite well. But, then things started to go wrong. First Xeraph used the force to pull in a temple guard allowing Ceres to cut him too pieces. This forced the temple guards to begin going on the offensive in order to defeat the Sith before they were all cut too pieces. But, despite this effort it was not long before two more were dead on the floor.

Tisiphone had gotten lucky with the Jedi she had chosen. Two of the knights were inexperience at best. The red Twi'lek exposed this by using force lightning to temporarily disable the experienced knight and the master. Then Tisiphone went to town on the inexperienced knights breaking both of them with brutal Djem So blows and then proceeding to kill them.

Leucosia was playing the long game. Her movements were efficient and whilst it looked like she was being pushed back any experienced duellist would know that the Sith was more skilled. Instead of going for an all out attack like others Leucosia focused on creating small cuts and wounds eventually causing them too limp. Then with exceptional speed Leucosia cut down the weaker of her opponents meaning her only foe now was a weakened and tired master.

Suddenly, there was a loud shattering sound as either Mace or Sidious shattered the colossal window inside the room. Ceres took advantage of the glass and used it too pierce the temple guards backs killing her three remaining opponents. Leucosia made a false dash to make it seem like she was assisting her master (who was now desperately holding off Mace Windu using lightning). This tricked Leucosia's opponent into to letting down his guard allowing Leucosia to thrust her elegant sabre into his chest.

It was ironic then that Tisiphone the laziest of the Sith order was the only one who did not take advantage of the shattering window. She overwhelmed her two remaining opponents with a brutal savagery that only comes out when a Sith is fully consumed by the dark side. This brutal offensive allowed her to cut down her two remaining opponents with shocking ease.

As the entire Sith order turned to face Mace Windu the Jedi master suddenly shouted:

"Stop!" Their was a distinct hesitation from each of the Sith as they tried to analyse the situation. "One more move and your Sith master is dead." Windu shouted. Then the situation became more complicated with the entrance of Anakin.

"You see! I told you Anakin. The Jedi are trying to take over!" Sidious said.

"The oppression of the Sith will never return. Their entire order is in this room! Every last one of them!" Mace shouted still not knowing about Levi. "I'm going to end this now!" Mace shouted completely oblivious to the fact that the moment Sidious was dead the Sith would let loos all hell upon him.

"No. It's not the Jedi way!" Anakin shouted.

"Anakin you must choose. I have the power to save the one you love!" Sidious shouted desperately. "Please. I'm weak."

"He's a traitor and he needs to die." Mace shouted drawing up his sabre.

"No. he needs to stand trial!" Anakin shouted.

"He has control over the senate and the courts! He needs to die!" Mace shouted. Then the Jedi master swung his sabre down on the helpless Sith lord.

"Nooooooooooo!" Anakin shouted cutting off Mace Windu's hand with inhuman speed. With the Jedi master stunned at the betrayal of Anakin Sidious blasted Mace with lightning sending the Jedi too his doom.

"What have I done?" Anakin asked to himself more than anyone else.

"You have made the choice to save the one you love." Sidious said. "Swear yourself to me and you can learn to save Padmé."

"Your right. I'll do anything you say. Just give me the power to save her." Anakin said.

"Good. I sense you will become a powerful Sith. Rise Darth Vader." Sidious said. The newly christened Darth Vader rose up and put on a black cape.

"Darth Vader. Go with the Sith order and eradicate the Jedi inside the temple. None can survive." Sidious ordered.

"As you wish master. But, what about the other Jedi scattered across the galaxy?" Vader asked.

"Do not worry yourself with that. I have a plan set in place for those traitors." Sidious said. With a wave of his hand the Sith filled out of the room leaving only Sidious and a comm. Sidious made the call:

"Lord Levi. It has begun."

 **Utapau**

"He was certainly a tough customer wasn't he Vile?" Obi-Wan said a few minutes after he finished off Grievous.

"It shall be done master." Levi said replying to Sidious not Obi-Wan.

"What was that Vile?" Obi-Wan said as he and Levi entered the makeshift command centre that Cody had created.

"Nothing master. I was just receiving orders from Darth Sidious to kill you." Levi said drawing his red sabre and beginning to duel Obi-Wan. "And it's Darth Levi. Not Vile."

Obi-Wan instantly slipped into Soresu as his face fell at the thought of another duel. But, their was a way to end this quickly.

"Commander Cody. Stun Vile. And, be quick about it!" Obi-Wan shouted deflecting another attack.

"Commander Cody. Initiate order 66!" Levi desperately shouted. Suddenly Cody's blaster turned away from Levi and towards Obi-Wan. It took about half a precious second for Obi-Wan to realise what was happening before Levi sent a devastating force push sending Obi-Wan flying into the sinkhole.

 **Coruscant**

The 'battle' of the Jedi temple was hardly worth mentioning. It was more of a massacre than an actual battle. The Jedi had barely any skilled knights guarding the temple and those that were their were severely outmatched by the ferocious Sith. After multiple 'intense' minutes of fighting Vader made it into the Jedi council chamber. The room where Windu had refused to give him the rank of master. Even though Vader no longer cared for the Jedi it still hurt that he had not been accepted for the fact that he was more powerful than the entire council. Suddenly he heard a voice.

"Master Skywalker what are we going to do?" Vader turned to the young boy with fear filling his face. Reigniting his blue sabre the younglings backed away in fear. It was going to be a long night…

 **Mustafar (Padmé's ship)**

"Are you sure that you should not have gone after Sidious master Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked with and edge of concern to his voice.

"Positive I am. Too many apprentices Sidious has so fish bait I would be." Yoda replied.

"Very well master." Obi-Wan said. "Time to confront Vader." Obi-Wan said moving out of the ship to fight the new dark lord.

As soon as Obi-Wan exited Padmé's ship (closely followed by Yoda) the two former best friends began an increasingly aggressive conversation.

Whilst, that was going on Ceres and Levi seemed to appear out of nowhere next too Yoda. Instantly the two Sith attacked Yoda letting Vader go for Obi-Wan alone.

"Young you both are." Yoda said easily dodging a slash from Levi whilst deflecting both of Ceres' sabres at the same time.

"Yet somehow more powerful than you." Levi shouted slinging coal from the ash stricken landscape at Yoda.

"Deluded you are." Yoda said with a smirk. Using the force Yoda threw the coal Levi sent at him towards force lightning that Ceres was sending towards Yoda. The force lightning set the coal alight forming a temporary barrier that prevented Ceres from joining the battle.

Realising how exposed he was Levi start a huge burst of Juyo attacks in an attempt to overwhelm the aged Jedi grandmaster.

"Just stay still for one fucking second you piece of little green shit!" Levi shouted as Yoda dodged every one of his swings.

"A dirty tongue you have Levi. Perhaps better at chasing you will be?" Yoda said with a smirk as Levi gave chase to the light footed Yoda. But, before he could catch the mouse like Jedi Coal collapsed all around him forming a temporary barrier. But Ceres, that always better at force jumping managed to continue the chase.

"Disappointed I am that you chose the dark side Ahsoka." Yoda said chiding his one of his previous favourites.

"It's Ceres to you. And, please for the sake of my sanity speak normal galactic basic." Ceres shouted complaining about Yoda's unusual speech pattern.

"Taught you more about understanding different species I should have. Lack basic understanding of other beings you do."

"Shut up! We are enemies. You're just a silly green man who could not adapt his order to the times. And, soon you will be a dead silly green man." Ceres shouted swinging her sabres diagonally towards Yoda's heart. But, Yoda dodged and slid into a pit. Before Ceres dived in after Yoda she received a vision:

"It's over Anakin! I have the high ground!"

"You underestimate my power!" Vader shouted preparing to make the jump.

"No… Don't try it!" Obi-Wan shouted preparing to intercept the Sith lord. Ceres watched helplessly as the man she loved was cut too pieces and burned in the fires of Mustafar.

"So Ceres are we catching Yoda or what?" Levi asked having caught up with Ceres.

"You chase Yoda. I am going to help Vader." Ceres said. She had already located the duelling pair and they were getting dangerously close to a hill that Ceres had already identified as the one she had seen in her vision.

"Its your call. Good luck." Levi said before chasing Yoda down the pit. Ceres then made a string of carefully placed force jumps arriving at the hill just in time to watch as Obi-Wan slashed Anakin out of the sky. Obi-Wan picked up his former friends sabre but before he could finish the job Ceres met him. Seeing the bloodthirsty Togruta with two light sabres drawn was enough to make most men tremble in fear. But, Obi-Wan was exhausted. He was in no position to fight another Sith so the Jedi ran. He ran for his life.

Ceres ran up too Vader. She dragged him out of the way of the lava and sat down with him. A few minutes later Levi arrived. The three Sith sat there. Soon Sidious arrived to see how his apprentices had fared. And, in Polis Massa twins were born. The Sith had their revenge. But, many Jedi still ran loose. The new empire had a long way to go in dominating the galaxy…

 **A/N So that is it. ROTS done in a disjointed and messy way with a few changes here and there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one may be a bit of time yet because I want to plan out the post ROTS period. The next few chapters will also be fairly disjointed as I try to summarise the next few months/ years going over only the bits that have character development (and the plot twist that will be set up next chapter). I hope you enjoyed and reviews are greatly appreciated as always.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N This chapter begins around a week after the formation of the empire.**

"We are broadcasting live from our station in Coruscant bringing you all the latest news from tonight. I am your host Kathleen Kennedy and this is the Imperial news network. Tonight we will be hosting a discussion about the mysterious Darth Vader's origins, his duties to the empire and of course his personal tastes in clothing with the one and only man himself. Darth Vader with Lady Ceres!" Kathleen shouted trying to contain her rising fear. She had interviewed a lot of shady customers in her time but there was something about Vader that unnerved her. Something about the tall cyborg figure clad in black that destroyed her built in layers of reporter's confidence. Then again, Ceres was not much better. The girl was young enough to be Kathleen's daughter but was also old enough to hold public office. Her unnatural yellow eyes had the uncanny ability to look like they were piercing your very soul and ripping out every shred of information that was inside your brain.

Suddenly the clump of metal boots and the tap of Ceres' heels forced Kathleen to face reality. She was interviewing number two and number six in the empire. She needed to be on her best behaviour. Nervously Kathleen began the interview:

"So lord Vader? When was it that you began to server our emperor?" Kathleen asked. Vader hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I knew the emperor when I was a young child. He mentored me in many ways but it was only recently that I served him." Vader said. In truth it was the kind of answer that Kathleen expected. It was fairly normal of politicians such as Palpatine to find protégés and mentor them at a young age but none of her sources had even mentioned a towering cyborg.

"How about you Ceres?" Kathleen said trying to keep the young Togruta engaged. Honestly Kathleen did not even know why Ceres was there. The segment was dedicated to Vader and she had made that perfectly clear.

"When I learned about the truth of the Jedi I instantly reported it to the emperor. Then I stayed inside the order slowly leaking information about their crimes." Ceres said stiffly.

"Interesting. So Vader, your suit has caused much mystery among the imperial public. Could you perhaps tell us a bit about the nature of your wounds that force you to wear such an interesting mechanism?" Kathleen asked finally getting to a decent question.

Vader immediately had to suppress the urge to choke the irritating reporter. It was one thing for her to ask things about his past (which was frustrating in itself) but completely another to ask things about his current infirmary. Although, his position was nowhere near as bad as it could be. Vader had no human limbs left but instead had prosthetics on his legs and arms. But, it could have been much worse. If Ceres had not pulled him up the hill the fires of Mustafar could have easily consumed his body and burned him into his suit forever.

"I would rather not reveal details on my current infirmary." Vader said. Kathleen could barely contain her annoyance. Just when she got onto a decent question Vader shut it down. The bastard did not even have the skill to dodge her question. He just shut it down!

"So lord Vader. The Separatists have taken advantage of the formation of the empire to re-assert control over key fortress worlds like Felucia. Does the imperial military have any plans to crush this latest threat?"

"If it weren't for this tiresome interview I would already be there." Vader said in reply. Kathleen laughed nervously. It was obvious that Vader was getting bored of her. She knew full well what happened to those who 'bored' Vader. Ceres had lost track of the interview a long time ago. She had spent the past five minutes trying to get that one annoying piece of dirt out from under her fingernails. Kathleen realised this and desperately tried to end the interview with a different question.

"So lord Vader. Before you entered into your current predicament did you have any family? Perhaps a girl friend?" Kathleen asked in a light-hearted way. Vader hesitated before turning to Ceres who was now looking on the scene with interest. The Togruta Sith then waved her hands and with a sickening sense of dread Kathleen realised that the camera's had stopped rolling. Suddenly she heard an audio recording of her own voice:

"And, that's all we have for today ladies and gentlemen!" The automated voice said.

"You are a fool Kennedy. It was dangerous enough for you to ask me questions about my past but asking me questions about my family, about those who I loved. That is unacceptable. But, to answer your question I was married to Padmé Amidala, Former senator of Naboo." Vader's voice began to choke up at this point. "She died giving birth to my children who are dead as well." Vader said simply attempting to not show weakness in front of the scummy reporter. Kathleen could barely contain he excitement. This would make an excellent story for her to 'leak.' Suddenly Ceres let loose a cold laugh as Vader left the room.

"Oh did you really think lord Vader was just going to tell you his biggest secret and let you off?" The teenager said.

"Please don't kill me!" Kathleen said basically begging for her life from the merciless Sith.

"Very well. We shall spare you." Ceres said. Kathleen let loose a sigh of relief but just as it escaped her lips she suddenly felt an explosion of pain.

"I thought you said you were going to spare me!" Kathleen shouted.

"I am. This mental attack will force a stroke on you. Then you will wake up three days later with dementia. No one will believe your precious story about lord Vader. You will branded as an insane reporter. I imagine the story about your mental collapse will do much better than 'The threat aliens pose'" Ceres said referring to a previous article that Kathleen had written. With that the Togruta walked out of the interviewing chamber catching up with her master.

"You should have killed her." Vader said as the pair marched along.

"Its much funnier to watch as their mental state collapses. Besides, I am practising interfering with peoples minds and she was a good test subject." Ceres said.

"Very well. We need to begin preparations for the campaign to wipe out the Separatists. Sidious has suggested that we enlist some dark Jedi to help smooth things along. You will handle that." Vader commanded.

"Sidious wants us to use his bitches? All they will do is try to steal secrets and spy on us." Ceres said grumpily.

"Exactly. There is a Jedi knight hiding out in the Jedi temple that I can turn. I want you to locate another one that could be loyal." Vader said to Ceres.

"Leave it to me Skyguy." Ceres said already thinking of a good Jedi too use.

"Very well. And please don't call me that again… snips." Vader said. Ceres may have been a Sith and in many ways she was a different person to 'Ahsoka Tano' but one thing that did not change was her playful attitude.

 **High security prison (Coruscant)**

Ceres marched down the corridors of the highest security prison in Coruscant. Not that it had done much to keep her and others in but at least it looked good for show. She marched past a clone listening to the radio.

 _"Alien rights are increasingly becoming a key issue inside our great empire. High-ranking officials in the military such as Moff Tarkin have spoken out in favour of segregation and no mixed marriage in order to prevent 'pure human blood and tradition from being diluted'" The presenter said._

"Switch that crap off before I switch you off." Ceres shouted.

"Sorry ma'am. Do you need a guide?" The clone said hurriedly.

"How about you open the damn gate!" Ceres shouted angrily as the clone hastily obliged. Ceres walked forward at her previous marching pace. She did not need a map. After all, the force guided her.

 **The cell of Barris Offee**

Barris was about half way through her meditation when she felt something dark approach her. It was about time honestly. Barris had already felt the huge loss of the light side of the force when the Jedi order had been eroded away. Although, Barris knew that order needed to be remodelled into something new she also knew that having the Sith in control of the galaxy under an empire was far worse than the republic. Despite the bombing Barris had (which she still believed was the correct decision) she had still remained a light user (barring her dance with the dark near her arrest). The only thing Barris truly regretted was betraying Ahsoka. The look of betrayal on her former friends face still haunted Barris to this day…

"Wallowing in regret are we?" Ceres asked entering Barris' cell.

"Ahsoka?" Barris asked in surprise looking at the monster that seemed to have taken control over Ahsoka's body.

"Darth Ceres at your service." Ceres said bowing mockingly.

"What do you want from me?" Barris asked cautiously.

"Well its simple really Barris. The emperor needs a few dark Jedi to do the simple work; basic torture and leading smaller units. I decided that you would be a perfect fit." Ceres said airily as if she could be talking about a whole manor of pleasant things.

"No. Perhaps if you had asked me when I was thrown in here I would have said yes but now… I have made my peace with my evils. I am a Jedi of the living force and if I ever get out of here that is what I intend to complete." Barris said firmly.

"That's such a shame. I suppose we are going to have to do this the hard way." Ceres said shivering with the excitement of what she was about to do. She launched a devastating blast of lightning at Barris. Instantly the former Jedi screamed in pain. She had never expected such a powerful assault from her former friend.

"You could have had it all Barris; riches, power and a place in the new order. But, instead you threw it all away. All you had to do is tell me. Then perhaps you could have even had earned a place in the Sith order. But now, you will pay for betraying me!" Ceres shouted relieving the lightning to mock Barris' reply.

"Betraying you was the hardest thing I ever did. But, knowing the monster you always were on the inside I can finally banish my last ounces of regret. Ahsoka Tano! I do not care about what fancy title you have been given but what I now know is that you are a monster. And, you always will be! So come at me for all I care! I will never serve you!" Barris shouted letting her rage overtake her.

"My dear girl you already have." Ceres said launching another blast of lightning (weaker than the first). This time gathering her rage Barris managed to send it flying back at Ceres. "And their you see Barris. You anger gave you strength. It gave you focus. Join me and I can teach you how to harness it to its fullest potential." Ceres said starting her manipulation.

Barris hesitated. She knew that it was wrong to join Ceres but the Togruta was right. Her anger had been helpful. But, despite the fact that her darker self that Barris had given into before was trying to break out again Barris still had the ability to refuse.

"No." Was her simple answer. The former Jedi closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come again. She was not surprised its sudden ferocity or the increased power of the lightning. But suddenly the blast of lightning stopped… Barris glanced up and to her immense surprise she saw a hooded figure duelling with Ceres.

The Sith lady had been caught by surprise. He opponent wielded Juyo and a purple light sabre. Not only that but he knew how to use it. Suddenly with a surprisingly powerful force push the Jedi shoved Ceres into Barris' cell pulling her out at the same time.

"Who are you?" Ceres asked with anger. The hooded figure merely smirked in reply and ran with Barris through the industrial corridors of the prison leaving Ceres locked in the cell of Barris.

Barris and the cloaked figure ran through the twisting corridors of the prison killing clone troopers along the way until Barris finally had the courage to ask her mysterious saviour a question:

"Do you have a plan? Or are we just going to run to our deaths?" In reply the figure pulled a comm out of his pocket and pressed the button on it. Suddenly three massive explosions took in other parts of the prison. The figure pressed against the wall and drew his purple sabre. Thrusting the burning hot weapon inside the wall the figure opened up a path inside one of the vents. Gesturing for Barris to follow he crawled through the tight vent replacing the part of the wall he cut away.

The pair crawled out of the vents to arrive on top of a pipe in the industrial landscape or Coruscant. The figure drew his sabre again this time cutting into the pipe. When Barris climbed in she had to run to keep up with her rescuer who was sliding down a tunnel that had already been built. At the bottom of this tunnel was a rusty ship that the figure had already climbed into. As he switched the ship on and took it inside the traffic of Coruscant it gave off an unbearable.

Barris and the figure where in hyperspace within the hour. As the ship continued its journey her rescuer was fiddling with his sabre. Finally after a resounding click he seemed to be satisfied and threw some metal from the sabre inside the ships incinerator destroying any trace of it. It was then that the figure turned to face Barris.

"You have three questions. Chose them wisely." He said.

"Who are you?" Barris asked picking the million-credit question. The figure hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I cannot say. For your own safety more than mine. But, I was a Jedi once. I believe that answers your second question?" The former Jedi said with a touch of sarcasm.

"It does. So why did you rescue me?" Barris asked.

"Not every Jedi was killed in the purge. I have been trying to scavenge up those I can to help Kenobi and the forming rebels to stand a chance against the Sith." The former Jedi said.

"Okay so why me? I killed multiple Jedi and I deserved my fate as a slave to the dark side." Barris said unwittingly using up her last question.

"I believe in second chances. You are highly talented and I know a new Jedi order could benefit from someone with your talents and vision. That was what we all lacked in the end… Which reminds me: we have arrived at our destination." The former Jedi said as his ship came out of hyperspace.

"Mandalore?" Barris said with surprise. The unstable country may have survived an unsuccessful coup from death watch thanks to the help of Obi-Wan but it was still not the most stable of places.

"That's right. Go into the escape pod at the back of the ship. When you arrive you will be greeted. Also you will need a weapon. I believe this will suffice." The former Jedi said handing over the sabre he used to break Barris out.

"Don't you need this?" Barris asked.

"No. The less time I carry this blade the better. Besides, I already have another." The Jedi said drawing another purple sabre. "Also take this" he said giving Barris a comm. "Give it to Kenobi when you arrive."

"Thank you. Is their anything I can do to repay you?" Barris asked.

"There is actually. Tell Kenobi that I am not interested in any of his offers." The former Jedi said. "There is only one thing that can cure my pain and the chances of me even getting that for a second are miniscule." The former Jedi said with a darkened tone. Barris nodded and climbed into the pod. She was then ejected down to the planet surface.

 **A/N Sorry for the late upload. This is basically the second act of the story and I very lazy in getting it out. Feel free to speculate about what I have in store and what has been revealed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Next Chapter coming in! I really struggled with how to start this one. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Coruscant**

"This is INN bringing you all the latest news. Our first story of the night: The empire will begin its invasion of the Separatist world of Cato Neimodia. Spearheading this campaign will be Darth Vader, Darth Ceres and Darth Xeraph. In other news Lady Xeraph's apartment was robbed last week only a few hours before the break out of the Jedi terrorist Barris Offee. Our sources tell us a Jedi weapon was taken from the apartment that belonged to lady Xeraph when she was performing her undercover mission inside the Jedi order. Next up, a history on documentary on the republic titled: 'a broken machine'."

 **Vader's flagship**

"You are learning the dark side well Sha Koon. The war council will begin in three standard hours. I expect you to be there." Vader said as his dark Jedi left the room. The girl was the nephew of the recently deceased Plo Koon.

"Do you trust her?" Ceres asked walking into the training room.

"Not in the slightest. She reeks of the light. The girl believes that she is only giving into the dark side temporarily in order to gain enough power to fight Sith. But, she is not even close to our level." Vader said.

"Indeed. You could crush her if you were in the light if it weren't for your suit." Ceres said knowingly walking into a touchy topic. Vader paused for a moment.

"I thought we had agreed to drop this topic." Vader said.

"Well I am re-opening it." Ceres said. "You need to get out of that bloody thing. Show the whole world who you are!" Ceres shouted!

"And I am closing this topic. I want to hear no more of this. Is that understood Ceres?" Vader asked.

"As you wish my lord." Ceres drawled creating a mock bow before leaving the room.

Vader stood defiantly in his black cape and stared at the Togruta as she left the room. He gripped his helmet as he considered what to do next. The girl was right. Vader should remove the suit. But, for Vader that was the cage a beast like him deserved. He deserved to stay inside his suit until he had finally found a way for him to forgive himself for the death of Padmé. Until that happened; the monster would stay caged.

 **Leucosia's apartment (a few hours later)**

Ceres knocked on the door of Leucosia's apartment. The room (now in the 500th republica) was a stunning apartment with an exceptional view across the industrial landscape of Coruscant. As Leucosia let Ceres in the two Sith immediately began to converse.

"I'm worried about Vader." Ceres said not beating round the bush at all.

"Are you now?" Leucosia said.

"I am. His prosthetics are more than capable of supporting him without that monstrous hunk of metal!" Ceres shouted.

"Perhaps so but that is Vader's choice, not yours." Leucosia said giving Ceres a cup of caff. Ceres drank it before spitting it out.

"What kind of Jedi piss is this?" Ceres explained smashing the steaming cup across Leucosia's floor.

"The disgusting kind." Leucosia replied with a smile.

"So why on earth are you feeding me it?" Ceres asked.

"Honestly I don't know. I suppose I was feeling a bit reminiscent of someone long gone…" Leucosia said turning her curved sabre in her hands.

"Well whoever that was they have an awful taste in caff." Ceres said. "Well I have to go Leucosia. The war council calls." Ceres said. In truth it was still another hour away but something was off about Leucosia…

As Ceres left the apartment Leucosia turned to a seemingly normal part of her wall.

"I worry about her Tisiphone." Leucosia said directly to the wall, which the Twi'lek Sith Leucosia was disguising herself against.

"Why's that?" Tisiphone asked in her relaxed manner.

"I worry that she has already lost her heart to someone that will never return her affection." Leucosia said. To her Ceres was like a child that she never had. She did not want Ceres to go through crippling heartbreak.

"Perhaps. But, I always find a bit of young love cute and romantic." Tisiphone said.

"Your useless! Why are we even friends?" Leucosia exclaimed.

"Because, you share my pain. Ceres may be giving up her heart to someone who may never return her love. But, in my experience the force will always find a way. Even when we are in the worst place imaginable somehow the entity that we have disrespected beyond belief will bail us out again." Tisiphone said providing a rare bit of insight.

"We shall see…" Leucosia said finishing her cup of bitter caff. The draught fitted perfectly with the bitter emotions she was feeling. Twenty-five years ago today she had lost the one she loved. Twenty-five years ago today she had become a Sith and if she could go thirteen years back in time; the first thing she would do is speak to her husband one last time before she watched him die…

 **The Sith war council**

The entirety of the Sith order sat on a long black industrial table. In one standard hour the campaign against the last remnants of the Separatists would begin. But that was not the purpose of the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to determine how to deal with the growing threat of rogue Jedi.

"Lord Vader shall continue his attack on the Separatists along with Ceres and Leucosia. I want lord Levi to hunt down the rogue Jedi who caused so much trouble in recent days. Lady Tisiphone shall handle growing rumours of the Jedi orders presence on Lotho Minor." Sidious stated.

"Wonderful. I have to go to a junkyard to fetch the junk on the galaxy. Is their a more interesting assignment for me master?" Tisiphone drawled not looking forward to what would probably be a wild goose chase.

"Unless you want to stay in Coruscant and wallow in self pity with me there is no other option Tisiphone." Leucosia said. Sidious allowed himself a small smile before adjourning the meeting. Levi stood up immediately to leave. Leucosia followed. The Sith left the room one by one until only Tisiphone was left with her master.

"Your attitude to your most recent missions is not desirable Tisiphone." Sidious hissed sitting hunched in his chair.

"I hope you will forgive me master for being annoyed at visiting a heap of junk. After all, it is obviously one of the most important missions I could get."

"Watch your tongue Tisiphone. It could one day be your undoing." Sidious said coldly. "Bedsides. I am very certain you will find something of interest on Lotho Minor."

"Yeah right. Next thing your going to tell me is that Kenobi is going to turn to the dark side and fuck Xeraph. Not a bloody chance master. Now, if you excuse me; I have a 'very important' mission to complete."

"As you say Tisiphone. I look forward to your report…"

 **A/N I am well aware that this is a short chapter but the next one will be much longer and will have some nice plot stuff. I hope you enjoyed and please leave a review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Hopefully this one will be a bit longer. Enjoy!**

 **Lotho minor**

Slipping out of her Sith interceptor Tisiphone arrogantly walked through the toxic wasteland of garbage. Expanding her force senses to her immense surprise she did find a force sensitive of sorts. Maybe this trip would not be such waste after all…

As she moved further and further through the toxic wasteland the force presence came closer and closer until Tisiphone was certain that it lied at the bottom of a pit of some kind. It could be a trap but Tisiphone believed she was more than powerful enough to tackle anything that she could possibly meet. Preparing for the awful stench Tisiphone jumped into the hole expecting a trap.

Igniting her red sabre Tisiphone observed her surroundings. It was a hollowed out cavern with what seemed to be a half eaten garbage snake on one end. Suddenly behind her she sensed a creature of sorts approaching her. Closing her eyes to not let her eyes trick her in the half-light of the cave Tisiphone turned around and let loose a Sith scream which would stun any enemy that could pose a threat to her. To the immense surprise the beast let out a Sith scream with similar ferocity.

Tisiphone opened her eyes expecting to see a great beast but instead saw a Zabrack in front of her. His Sith tattoo's were exactly the same patterns. His horns, whilst being longer were in exactly the right position and the face of the Zabrack was the same as the one she had wanted to forget.

"Maul?" Tisiphone asked trying desperately not to get her hopes up.

"Eldra? Eldra?!" Maul screamed. "Oh it's been so long." Maul said as he tried to approach Tisiphone on his spider like legs. As the two embraced they found it incredibly hard to do so simply due to Maul's legs. Suddenly as the two embraced Maul started thrashing wildly.

"What are you?! What are you?! Get off me foul beast." Maul shouted as he force pushed Tisiphone away.

"Maul it's me." Tisiphone said trying to coax the Zabrack into holding back his assault.

"I don't know you!" Maul shouted now trying to pierce Tisiphone with his metal legs. Thinking quickly Tisiphone send Maul to sleep with some exceptionally powerful force suppression. Taking Maul back up the hole she came from (using the force to carry him). After Tisiphone sat down in her chair she began the slow process of delving into the broken mind of Maul.

As Tisiphone began to probe Maul's mind she was horrified to find the true state it was in. His mind was a mess of memories and hate. Nothing coherent was inside it.

After about an hour of fruitless probing Tisiphone gave up and leant back in her chair. Then she began to cry softly. This was one of the most evil taunts from the force possible. To see Maul again only to find him broken. She cried softly to herself as the man she loved slowly regained consciousness. Tisiphone dearly hoped that her son was having better luck.

 **Somewhere in the outer rim**

Levi climbed out and observed his surroundings. The planet he was on was a dump (like pretty much every world in the outer rim). Levi had tracked this rogue Jedi from Ceres' description of his force signature and now he had found him.

He was inside what seemed to be a run down hut preparing his dinner. The 'Jedi' was blissfully unaware of what was about to befall him. Igniting his sabre Levi launched a devastating force push wiping out the house. As Levi charged into the ruined house the force suddenly screamed a warning. Levi turned and raised his sabre only to find himself desperately blocking a string of brutal Juyo attacks.

"It is good to fight someone who is also a master of Juyo." Levi said deflected one of the Jedi's blows and counter attacking.

"Also a master of Juyo? Oh please. You barely count as adequate." The masked Jedi said drawing a blue sabre to use along with his purple one.

"That's. That's Leucosia's Jedi sabre!" Levi shouted with rage. He was now attacking the Jedi with a colossal fury which had been fuelled by this mans mocking of the Sith order (by using their old sabres) and his previous jabs.

"Well observed. And now you can go to sleep." The masked Jedi snarled beginning his final offensive. Levi almost immediately began to cave in as the two sabres working in unison with Juyo strikes were like human chainsaws destroying everything they touched. Finally the masked Jedi swung his leg up and crashed it down on Levi's head knocking the Sith out cold.

"All to easy." The masked Jedi said using his force power to send the Sith into a deeper sleep.

 **Three hours later**

Levi felt a sharp pang across his face as Leucosia slapped him. The Twi'lek Sith sat up attempting to gain a bearing on his surroundings. He was in the same ruined house as before. Leucosia was staring down on him.

"How did you find me?" Levi asked wearily as he sat up.

"It's called a tracking device." Leucosia said as she passed Levi a cup of Caff made from the items inside the scratched draws. Levi took a deep drink and then immediately had to hide his disgust. Leucosia immediately began to interrogate Levi on the duel. Levi filled her in effectively whilst trying to evaporate his truly disgusting caff using the force.

"What are you going to do now?" Levi asked after finishing his retelling.

"I am going to track this rogue Jedi down myself. If he is half as skilled as you said he will make a fine edition to the Sith order." Leucosia said standing up. Her yellow eyes were already brightening with the intense anticipation of a hunt.

"As you wish lady Leucosia." Levi said bowing to the superior Sith. The Twi'lek made a move to leave the room but Leucosia blocked him.

"Prepare yourself lord Levi. When you return home you may find yourself with something you never imagined." Leucosia said cryptically. Levi narrowed his eyes but took the warning as a gift.

"Thank you Lady Leucosia." He said with a mocking bow.

 **Mandalore**

Obi-Wan and Yoda walked together along a broad pavilion in the Duchesses palace in Mandalore.

"I am surprised about how many Jedi we were able to round up master." Obi-Wan said.

"Heartening it is. But stay vigilant we must." Yoda said. "Leave Mandalore soon we will."

"Are you sure that is necessary Master? Mandalore is a neutral planet. The empire is focusing on uprooting the last remnants of the Separatists. Not neutral planets that have little to no military forces." Obi-Wan said protesting the elder Jedi's choice.

"Foolish it would be to stay in one place for to long. Besides, serves as a beacon Mandalore does for neutral planets. If fall to the empire it does many others will follow suit."

"As you say master." Obi-Wan said. Suddenly his comm began beeping. As Obi-Wan opened it up he heard Satine's voice on the other end.

 _"Obi-Wan. Barris Offee is looking for you."_

"Why did she come to you?" Obi-Wan asked. Apart from a brief handshake when Barris first arrived the pair had barely interacted.

 _"It was really strange actually. She walked into the room and then began to claim that she sensed you. She was very persistent."_

"Interesting. Thank you for telling me that Satine." Obi-Wan said ending the call. Yoda looked up at Obi-Wan and began to chide his great grand padawan.

"To close to the duchess you have become." Yoda said.

"Master I have no idea what you're talking about." Obi-Wan said as his face went an unusual shade of pink.

"Know exactly what I am talking about you do. Be mindful of you emotions you must, lest they cloud your judgment." Yoda said. Obi-Wan neither confirmed or denied what Yoda was suggesting but instead changed the topic.

"What do you think of Barris?"

"An outcast she is. Prove herself she must before being accepted."

"I agree. She has a long and hard road ahead of her. But, I sense that whilst her convictions remain the same she does have some regret for framing her friend. Honestly sometimes I think it would have been better to execute Ahsoka. One less Sith to deal with and her previous proximity to Barris could play against us."

"Speak like that you must not! If contemplate these things we do, then lose site of what we are we do." Yoda said. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "A long road ahead of us, we have."

 **Vader's star destroyer**

Vader and Ceres stood around a holo table. Sha Koon stood with the officers surrounding the table. Vader laid out the plan to all of them for the attack on Cato Neimodia. After the meeting was dismissed Ceres made an abysmal attempt to start a conversation.

"This reminds me of the clone wars. All those hours we spent planning on how to take down Separatist strongholds."

"It brings a sense of familiarity. But, I want this over with as soon as possible. Dismissed." Vader said sharply preferring to be stuck in his own thoughts.

"Hold up. If I have been a Sith for longer than you. Doesn't that make me superior to you?" Ceres asked cheekily.

"Do not test me Ceres." Vader replied.

"Okay then Mr tough guy. Beat me in a duel." Ceres said obviously challenging Vader. Vader turned to the Togruta and drew his sabre. It was clear from the Sith's posture that he was not up for it. Ceres came in immediately with fast jabs designed to out pace Vader's clunky suit.

"This is what I mean Vader. Your suit limits you. Its pathetic really. It allows me to float like a butterfly," Ceres said as she easily dodged one of Vader's strikes. "And sting like a bee." Ceres said jabbing in at Vader's chest leaving an ugly scratch on Vader's helmet.

"The thing about bee's is that they only sting once." Vader said parrying another of Ceres' thrusts. "Wasps on the other hand," Vader said lashing out three times in succession catching Ceres on the foot, chest and head. The Togruta collapsed in a heap on the floor. "Get out of here." Vader shouted.

Ceres giggled obviously having had some fun and scuttled out of the room. "What's wrong with her?" Vader asked to himself.

 **A/N Well this took forever. Maul is back and Obi-Wan is up to something... I hope you enjoyed reading and reviews are always appreciated. Sorry this chapter took so long as well. I am really lazy and i had some writers block. Hope you enjoy regardless!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Next chapter incoming! There will be a fair amount in this one. And my apologies for how long this took.**

 **Mandalore**

Barris rolled uncontrollably inside her bed. Sweat poured down her head as a dark dream closed in to claim the Mirialan girl. Inside the dream darkness blocked Barris' vision until it cleared revealing a young Togruta. As the Togruta turned to face Barris it took the Mirialan less than a second to recognise the face of her old friend Ahsoka Tano. Ceres' eyes were a deep yellow and her body was covered in Sith tattoo's. Even in a dream Barris could feel the awe-inspiring power emanating from the Togruta. The fact that Ceres' relatively frail and young body was not collapsing under the shear strain of the dark side was a wonder in itself.

"Incredible isn't it?" Ceres said speaking to Barris. Barris faced off against her old friend.

"If you like destroying yourself then I suppose that statement would be valid." Barris replied coldly.

"Oh is that it? I'm so disappointed. Surely you can see how much greater you could become with MY power at your side. You of all people saw how weak and pitiful the Jedi order was. And now you are going to attempt to restore it? Please excuse me for laughing Barris. Your mission will be a failure."

"I will rebuild the order because I want to remove the Sith. After that the order can fix its many issues."

"Really? If in a hypothetical world this new Jedi order somehow defeated the Sith. Then what happens? Kenobi and Yoda seize control of it. Do you really think two of the old masters will make change happen? They will make change impossible. Before you know it the order will be just the same as it always was. You can't rebuild a ship with rotting wood Barris. You need to start fresh. Think of what you could achieve with the dark side. You could create an infinitely better order with none of the draw backs of the Jedi!"

"I'll pass." Barris said not wanting to show how tempted she was.

"I see that you need more time to consider. I will return soon." Ceres said snapping her fingers. Suddenly the dream faded and Barris was flung awake.

 **Satine's private chambers**

Satine's private chambers were vast and spacious. Unbefitting of a normal planetary ruler the rooms were also fairly bare with only a refresher and a double bed (newly fitted attached). Satine was alone in the centre reading from a data pad.

"Duchess. Master Kenobi is here to see you." A guard said walking in.

"See him in at once" Satine said standing up. The guard bowed leaving the room. Moments later Obi-Wan walked in.

"Does she know?" Satine asked hurriedly not even attempting pleasantries.

"She thinks it was a trick of her mind. Nothing more nothing less." Obi-Wan said affectionately rubbing Satine's belly. Satine let loose a sigh of relief.

"But, it still raises a concern." Satine said. "If she can sense our child who else can?" Satine said worriedly. "This place is not safe for you Obi. You must go before the empire subjugates Mandalore. "

"I can't leave you. Death-watch might come back. I need to protect you when the empire comes." Obi-Wan said.

"I will not allow violence on my streets Obi. Not even for you. Serve the galaxy. Not me." Before Obi-Wan could have time to consider what had been said his comm beeped.

 _"Meet with me you must."_ Yoda said over the line.

"Yes master." Obi-Wan responded closing down the call. "We will continue this conversation later." He said to Satine. Satine nodded.

"The Jedi have a point about attachments Obi-Wan. Your judgment has been clouded."

 **Coruscant**

Levi's slick Sith interceptor slipped out of hyperspace into the atmosphere of Coruscant. Immediately he received a comm call from his mother (Tisiphone).

 _"Levi. Come to my residence. We have much to discuss."_ Tisiphone said over the line.

"Yes mother." Levi said averting the course of his ship to Eldra's residence." He did not want to speak to his mother. Something felt off in the force and when that was the case Levi liked to meditate. As his ship landed in the lavish hanger in the residence that used to belong to a senator (who had an unfortunate accident soon after the rise of the empire). As Levi climbed out of his ship and greeted his mother he could help but notice the different way she carried herself. She was more springy and her eyes which normally burned with an intense fury befitting of a Sith were now a dull yellow. But, instead of being weak and sickly the yellow instead reminded Levi of two diamonds. Sparkling in the middle of his mother's eyes.

"What's happened?" Levi asked testily.

"Follow." Tisiphone said simply. Levi obliged and followed his mother into a colossal hallway. Tisiphone guided her son into a barely used dining room and tied down on a chair was the insane Zabrack that Levi had never known.

"Levi, this is your father." Tisiphone said. As she said this Maul turned to Levi with a stupid grin across his face. Levi turned to his mother aghast.

"Is this some kind of joke?! You honestly expect me to believe that this thing with fucking spider legs in my father. A great Sith warrior reduced to a bumbling fool?!"

"I know this is hard to accept but it's the truth." Tisiphone said desperately.

"I put you in her belly." Maul said to Levi keeping his stupid grin.

"You disgust me!" Levi shouted force pushing the chair before stomping out of the room.

Tisiphone sighed desperately holding back her tears. That went much better in her head.

 **Cato Neimodia**

The battle in the space above Neimodia was hardly worth mentioning. The remnants of the Separatist navy were crushed in an epic display of fire and laser bolts. The landing was quite different however.

"Sha Koon, guide us in." Vader ordered down his Comm. He and Ceres were stuck in the cramped gunships as they went down the surface of the planet.

"Of Course lord Vader." The conflicting Dark Jedi said already forming up her fighter squad, to take out air defences and vulture droids. It was a sickening irony; she had spent the better part of the clone wars protesting the war and now she was waging another…

 _"I've got three on my tail. Someone help! Plea-"_ A clone shouted down his comm before it was cut out by an explosion. Sha Koon reached into the force with fear. She could feel multiple vulture droids already polishing up her squad and moving onto its leader… That gave her an idea.

 _"Commander. Drive the droids towards me."_ Sha Koon ordered.

Sha Koon could sense the clone's indigence but nonetheless he did as ordered. Almost immediately the droid fighters started to tail Sha Koon. In retaliation the dark Jedi carefully weaved through the mountainous landscape of the planet flying dangerously close to the surface of the peaks. That was her mistake. The force screamed a warning about half a second to late before an anti-air gun shot her fighter out of the sky.

Meanwhile the gunships had landed and were greeted by the first Separatist defences. Vader and Ceres rushed out of the gunships to greet the droid army. Curiously along side the droids were multiple Neimodians as well as other alien species all of which were classified as second-class citizens by the empire. Whether alien teenager or droid they all met the same fate.

Despite their recent scuffle Ceres and Vader worked remarkably well together. Ceres was an unhinged madwomen hacking through droid and alien alike filled with the power of the dark side. Her eyes were like miniature suns sparking in the light. With every added corpse at the end of her light sabre Ceres' dark rampage only increased; now with a miniature lightning storm surrounding her Ceres easily cut through ten enemies at a time.

On the other hand, Vader took a more conservative approach more fitting of his condition. He would use his power in the dark side to smash parts of the mountains together crushing hundreds of Separatists and destroying bunkers that had taken weeks to create. This also helped protect Ceres. More than once Vader had had to crush an enemy taking a shot at her or stop one of the stray many stray bolts that headed her way. It was this unique team that annihilated any hope that the Separatists of winning the battle.

 **Separatist command centre**

"Sir, the Sith have pushed through our first two lines of defences and are now advancing towards the main city in this sector." One of the droids said to a hooded figure in the middle of the command centre.

"Refocus our defences around the outside of the town. Whatever you do try and keep the civilians safe." The hooded figure ordered.

"Roger Roger." The droid replied already transmitting the ordered. The hooded figure clutched the projector he was standing in front of as more reports came streaming in of the stunning success of the imperial army. Then one of the alien militia troops ran into the command centre.

"Sir, our forces have detected the crash sight of an enemy star fighter." The alien said.

"Why are you bringing this to my attention?" The hooded figure said.

"Look at this." The alien said displaying a recording of the star fighter seemingly dodging attacks from about nine vulture droids before an anti air gun shot it down. Instantly the hooded figure understood the severity of the situation. The pilot was almost certainly a force sensitive and if that was the case they had to be dealt with.

 **The crash site**

The hooded figure backed up by about twenty aliens arrived at the crash sight to find a ship somehow still in one piece. The hooded figure advanced slowly and took a careful look at the figure in the cockpit.

"Get a med pack." The hooded figure ordered.

"Sir? He is an imperial." The company medic replied with shock.

"Just give me the damn med pack and it's a she. Not a he." The hooded said now dragging the figure out of the star fighter. Reluctantly the medic agreed.

 **Entrance of city**

Ceres and Vader had taken about an hour to push up through the entrance of the city. They had cut through defences that would have taken the republic a full day to smash in about an hour.

"Who ever the enemy commander was they obviously did not want to hurt the civilians. Urbanised warfare with the people against us would have been quite a challenge." Ceres remarked.

"I know full well you just want to rip this city to shreds Ceres." Vader replied.

"Well?" Ceres said like a dog about to be let off its leash.

"Leave any commanders alive." Vader ordered letting the insane Togruta go loose on the city. Like a greyhound being let off its leash Ceres sprinted headlong into the city to unleash assault upon its inhabitants.

Ever since becoming a Sith Vader had become more and more aware of a certain air that Ceres had unleashed. It was as if everything the girl did was an attempt to impress him. Vader was not immune the pleasures of flesh since becoming a Sith and their was something about his former Padawan's attire that made Vader feel increasingly powerful feelings of lust.

But, it was imperative that Vader suppressed those feelings. Padmé was the only women that would ever satisfy his lust and she was gone forever. But, memories of another women Vader had also met at the same time as Padmé began to surface. Perhaps she would satisfy his desire? With a new purpose set out Vader had a slight spring in his step as he marched into the city (which was already burning).

 **Mandalore**

The new Jedi order (currently around ten people) watched their holo disgusted as the INN reported on the imperial campaign.

 _"Lord Vader and Lady Ceres have had massive success in their campaign against the Separatist terrorists. They have wiped out a major city with housed many sub species seeking to topple our magnificent empire. Our military analyst has more." The anchor said. A human male who seemed eternally middle aged._

 _"Thank you Jack. This campaign's success shows us two things. Firstly, the empire has a superior military compared to the Separatists. This shows the strength of our government compared to the old republic. Our generals have far more control over their operations allowing for greater flexibility in planning and strategising. This battle has also shown the weakness of subspecies. Our forces were outnumbered ten to one yet we still prevailed. This is because many alien subspecies are less physically capable and dumber than humans." The military analyst concluded. "Over to you Jack."_

 _"Thank you. If your curious about the scientific details of subspecies please stick around as our board of scientists go over FAQ's and how to protect you and your family from the potential threat they pose. After that we have an interview with Lady Xeraph on her new book 'the evil of the Jedi and how I escaped."_

The holo set was switched off by Obi-Wan as he observed the horrified room. He had no idea how this was already the top rated network. Especially offended was Barris, one of two aliens in the room (the other being master Yoda).

"How can they do this?!" Barris exclaimed. "How can they degrade centuries worth of alien rights in a few weeks. How can they glorify such an awful massacre? And yet we sit here doing nothing?" The Mirialan exclaimed. She had a right to be affronted. Her species was already classified as a 'sub species'. Hate crimes have practically tripled in the past day alone.

"The dark side clouds everything. The people are being fooled by the darkness."

"No shit Sherlock. So are we going to do anything about the massacres happening as we speak?" Barris exclaimed.

"Foolish it would be to make a move against the Sith at this point in time." Yoda said.

"Well I don't give a damn. These people need to be stopped and if you won't do it I will!" Barris shouted stomping out of the room.

Obi-Wan sighed. Another brave and talented Jedi lost…

 **The outer rim**

Leucosia sat meditating in the ruined hut where Levi lost his duel to the rogue Jedi. The Togruta Sith was fusing Jedi meditating techniques with the darkness. She would gather her emotional baggage and then dispel it with the dark side. Instead of burning through her dark emotions like fuel Leucosia stored them away for later use. It was like a dark recharge of energy.

Suddenly Leucosia felt another force presence slip into her field of vision. It was undoubtedly the rogue Jedi that had trounced Levi. Leucosia opened her eyes revealing two yellow orbs underneath. Drawing her curved sabre she prepared for the duel.

The rogue Jedi flipped off his speeder and drew a long hilted green sabre. Immediately Leucosia recoiled in shock.

"Where did you get that?!" She shouted her rage already building.

"I made it." The rogue Jedi replied simply slipping into a Juyo stance.

"You lie!" Leucosia shouted letting her cape loose in the force generated wind. "Now show me your face so I know who I'm about to impale!"

"As you wish." The rogue Jedi replied letting his cape loose in the wind at last revealing a face. The face was weathered with many years on the outer rim and a shagged beard now accompanied it. But the brown eyes and the cheeky smile gave it away.

"Kitnandor?" Leucosia asked barely daring to hope. The weary man nodded. Sensing no deception in the force Kitnandor and Leucosia embraced with the affection of two who had lost themselves and each other forever…

 **A/N I really really hope that twist managed to surprise at least some of you. First of all, I am well aware that that news segment was blatantly racist and quite frankly disgusting. But, I felt like it was necessary to show the evil of the empire and the propaganda imperial citizens see every day of their lives. Also, sorry for taking so long to write this chapter. I am ashamed of myself for my awful procrastination and hopefully I can get faster uploads from now and on. One more thing, if that twist surprised you leave me a review ;) They are always massively appreciated and I do my upmost to respond every time I get one :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N Maybe this one will come sooner? So I'm going to start this chapter right where a left off, with Leucosia and Kitnandor's reunion. Enjoy!**

The Togruta and human embraced for a seemingly endless period of time. After the embrace finally ended the questions began.

"Where have you been for all these years?" Leucosia asked finally coming to her senses.

"Hidden. Hidden away where the darkness could not find me." Kitnandor replied shakily. Leucosia accepted the answer begrudgingly. "But, it found you…" Kitnandor whispered staring into Leucosia's soft yellow eyes.

"No. I found it." Leucosia said running her fingers through Kitnandor's hair. The two engaged in a long passionate kiss before finding themselves in bed. They remained in that passionate fury for the next five hours.

 **Coruscant**

Sidious excited his meditation with a hiss. It was pathetic how love of all things was beginning to crumble his Sith order. The situation with Tisiphone was not unsalvageable. Soon the Twi'lek would get over Maul surviving and start focusing on his insanity. That would be enough to turn her on Kenobi and increase her dark rage. Sidious could then 'heal' Maul but turn him and Tisiphone against each other. That would work out well enough.

Levi was by far the easiest to keep under control. He was disgusted with his mother and Maul. That would be enough to drive a wedge between them especially because Levi hated his mother's lack of responsibility. Putting them together would provide some interesting results to say the least, especially with Maul in the mix.

Then their was Vader and Ceres. It was pitiful how Ceres kept on pursuing Vader's affection. Especially considering Vader obviously did not care for her. Best of all Vader was still wearing his suit. It effectively handicapped Sidious leaving his most powerful apprentice to weak to challenge him. Sinking Vader further into his grief for Padmé would be ideal. But, Sidious had an even better idea. Forcing Vader to remarry would absolutely crush his soul and Sidious would have a bitter woman right in his house. It would work perfectly.

Finally there was Leucosia. Sidious believed that he had annihilated any weakness she had long ago but apparently that was not the case. He could already sense Leucosia's pleasure through the force and that of a certain force sensitive he thought had been eliminated forever. Kitnandor was weak but he was also intelligent. Now that he was with Leucosia again she was practically a dead apprentice. But, Sidious then had a brainwave. Ceres was surrounded by her fellow Sith getting back into relationships and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh. On the other hand, she was alone. Ceres had huge potential in the dark side and Sidious knew it would only be honed if she were isolated from the other Sith. Sidious needed a little while for all the cards to fall into place but once they did his new order would be darker than ever…

 **Cato Neimodia (Separatist camp)**

Sha Koon woke up blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Standing above her was a vaguely familiar figure.

"Who are you?" Sha Koon asked tiredly. In response the figure lowered his hood revealing the weathered face of Plo Koon. "Uncle? It's you! I'm so glad you're alive!" Sha Koon said standing up to embrace Plo Koon.

"Me to child." Plo Koon said in response embracing his niece tightly.

"What happened to you?" Sha Koon asked.

"My star fighter was shot down during order 66. But, before I crashed into the mountainside I managed to eject myself. Then I started organising resistance against this empire." Plo Koon responded. "What about you?"

"I ummm. I joined the empire." Sha Koon said shakily. "I didn't have much of a choice. But, I thought if I learned the dark side I could kill the emperor." Sha Koon said.

"Foolish child. But, I am with you now. Your knowledge of the empire could win us this battle. Please help me." Plo Koon said. Sha Koon nodded.

"I will." Sha Koon said in reply. Uncle and niece embraced before beginning their strategic planning.

 **Coruscant**

"Lady Tisiphone. Lord Sidious is coming." An aide said running towards Tisiphone who was tending to Maul.

"Bring him through when he arrives." Tisiphone ordered already turning back to Maul. The aide nodded and left the room. "Now Maul. Lets try again. When did we first meet?" Tisiphone said in a tired voice.

"I don't know. But, you sure were pretty." Maul said in response. Tisiphone sighed and lent back in her chair. She had made barely any progress in healing Maul's fractured mind.

"Lady Tisiphone. How fairs Maul." Sidious said striding into the room. At the sight of Sidious Maul tried to shimmy away (it was very hard without legs).

"Hot man leave. Hot man leave now!" Maul demanded in a toddler like manner.

"Still shattered." Tisiphone said. "When I get my hands on Kenobi I am going to break every bone in his body for what he did. I swear it." The Twi'lek stated boldly with icy determination.

"I see. There are many ways that I may be able to heal his mind. But, all will take some time to effectively research for. Until then I have a mission for you." Sidious said.

"Go on."

"I want you to locate Kenobi and any Jedi he may have gathered together. When you find them I want you to wipe them out. Kill every last one of them. If a planets government is sheltering them feel free to destroy it. You will be accompanied by a full imperial task force." Sidious said. Tisiphone grinned savagely at the chance of being able to enact pain upon Obi-Wan.

"It would be my pleasure master. But, who will look after Maul?" Tisiphone asked.

"Your son will handle that." Tisiphone nodded not considering how her son would feel about that.

"I'll make preparations immediately." The Twi'lek Sith said immediately standing up. Sidious grinned. She was falling right into his trap.

 **Cato Neimodia (the next day)**

Ceres and Vader stood back to back as they hacked through a thick swath of super battle droids. They mopped up the droids almost as quickly as the fight had begun.

"They are starting to buckle." Ceres commented.

"Indeed. Soon this campaign will be over."

"I wonder what Sidious has in store for us next."

"Probably separate assignments for both of us. I have sensed a great many disturbances in the force in recent days." Vader said. Before Ceres had a chance to respond a clone ran up to the pair.

"Generals. Our transmissions have been jammed." The clone said. All of a sudden blaster bolts starting raining down upon the Sith duo from every direction.

"How can this be? Only someone with access to the codes could have jammed our transmissions." Vader exclaimed.

"Which means. Shit." Ceres cursed turning around to find three force sensitive's. Plo Koon in the centre with Barris and Sha Koon on either side. "Looks like this just got a lot more fun." Ceres grinned already advancing towards Barris. Vader did the same with the Koon's. Instantly the duelling began. Barris barely stood a chance against Ceres. It became less of a duel and more of a game of cat and mouse. With Barris desperately trying to escape the Sith lady as she threw her sabre and a whole manner of trees and rocks at Barris.

"Keep running Barris. Keep running but just remember that I WILL get you eventually." Ceres laughed psychopathically as she ripped through the forest. On the other hand, Vader was having a more challenging time. He was facing a renowned Jedi master and a fairly fast Ataru user who was failing at not using the dark side. He sent a mental tap to Ceres who was having far too much fun considering the situation they were in. Ceres immediately acknowledged and force pushed Barris about twenty metres away from her. Turning around with seemingly blinding speed Ceres stabbed Plo Koon in his back.

"Noooooooooo!" Sha Koon screamed giving into her darkness. For a moment she was able to fight on par with both Ceres and Vader but that was not going to last for long. Vader kicked Sha Koon in the chest and the dark Jedi tumbled to the ground.

"You were a fool for betraying the Sith. Now you will pay the ultimate price." Vader said raising his sabre to land the killing blow. But, before he could Barris force pushed both him and Ceres away.

"We need to get out of here." Barris said dragging Sha Koon to a shuttle.

"But, his body. I have to bury him." Sha Koon muttered.

"Forget about that. We need to leave. Now!" Barris said finally dragging Sha Koon into the shuttle. Ceres made to chase after them but Vader stopped her.

"They will be a minimal threat. Besides, we have a battle to win!" Ceres grunted a reply and the two stormed into the fray.

 **That evening**

Ceres and Vader stood side by side to accept the transmission from the Emperor. As his hologram flickered to life both Sith bowed.

 _"I am impressed with your exploits here. You have both served me well."_ Sidious said commending his apprentices.

"Thank you master." They said in unison.

 _"I have new assignments for both of you. Lord Vader. You will go to Naboo to oversee the selecting of a new senator and make sure the new queen stays in line. Treat this as an opportunity to take a break. You may leave at once."_

"Thank you master." Vader said bowing deeply as he left the chamber. As soon as Vader excited the room he commed his personal assistant.

"Make ready for me a new pair of prosthetic legs and arms. I want them to be flexible, with the best sensors you can get."

 _"Of course milord anything else?"_

"Yes. I want them to be nice to touch and look at; none of that metal crap and as realistic looking as possible."

 _"I will see what I can do milord."_

"Two more things: I want access to the Naberrie villa in the lake country. I also want to know the location of Sabé knightly."

 _"The former handmaiden of the queen?"_

"That's the one. Make sure these are done or it's your head." Vader strode into his personal ship already on the way to Naboo.

 _"As for you Lady Ceres. I have a far more important mission for you. Leucosia has betrayed the Sith order. Find her and bring her and her partner to me. They both need to be punished."_

"Leucosia had a partner?" Ceres asked surprised.

 _"She has a partner. He was a Jedi and presumed dead. Now that he is alive it is obvious that she will leave the order. She may attempt to undermine the empire as a whole. I hope you understand the severity of this situation Ceres."_ Sidious stated.

"Of course master. I shall leave for Coruscant to make preparations at once." Ceres said also leaving the room. As Ceres left she could not help but feel Jealous towards Leucosia. First Maul had returned and now Leucosia had her partner. It was like an overly convenient romance. What would really drive the point home is if Amidala somehow came alive. That would ruin Ceres' chances of getting Vader forever.

 **Kitnandor's house**

Leucosia was intently watching the holo set as Kitnandor cleaned up their bed.

"Why are you watching that?" Kitnandor asked with an obvious distaste for imperial propaganda. Leucosia merely pointed at the screen.

"We're going to need a ship." She said as the anchor started speaking.

 _"We interrupt our panel on mixed race marriage to bring you breaking news. Lady Leucosia has defected from the empire. Reports state a Jedi seduced her. She and the Jedi are highly dangerous." The holo then cut to an interview with Sidious:_

 _"I am greatly saddened by this turn of events. This shows more than ever the threat the Jedi pose. I do not think this is Leucosia's Togruta blood. Imperial scientists have already proven that Togruta blood is on the same level as humans." Then the screen cut back to the anchor. "_

 _If you sight either of them please contact the following comm frequency."_

"That's odd. They normally use a different one for Jedi sightings.

"That's Ceres' comm. We need to move. Now!" Leucosia said standing up. Kitnandor followed as the pair rushed to get off planet.

 **A/N That came out faster than expected. Hopefully the rapidly changing perspectives were not to confusing. I hope you enjoyed and reviews are always appreciated.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N That came out faster than expected. Hopefully the rapidly changing perspectives were not to confusing. I hope you enjoyed and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **Naboo (the queens palace)**

Vader marched into the Queen's palace scattering servants from either side.

"Lord Vader. On the behalf of Naboo it is an honour to have you here." The queen said bowing to the Sith lord.

"Of course. Shall we begin the selection process of the senator?" Vader asked.

"We shall." The queen said slipping into to deep political talk. She was an imperial puppet who had been put in her place when the old queen died 'under mysterious circumstances' (Xeraph had taken great pleasure in butchering her). The senator was to be the same. They had settled on a fairly young blonde girl who had been kicked out of political school for anti-democracy movements and for hate crimes against aliens. Vader had no doubt that the girl would serve her role as a fanatic imperial exceptionally well. But, then Vader moved onto the more pleasurable part of his trip to Naboo.

"I believe that the royal palace should have received some delivery's for me?" Vader inquired.

"Yes. They are waiting in your ship." The Queen replied.

"Thank you. If you need anything contact my personal assistant. I will be occupied." Vader said.

"Of course lord Vader." The queen said bowing.

 **The streets of Theed**

Vader knocked on the fairly bog standard door in the capital of Naboo and it was answered by a brown haired, brown eyed pale women.

"Lord Vader? This is an unexpected pleasure." The women said. "Luke. Lord Vader is here!" The women shouted before nervously turning to Vader.

"Okay Sabé why on earth are you joking about lord Vader…" A man said walking into the doorway dropping the plate in his hands with a great smash.

"This is my fiancé. Luke." Milord Sabé said surprisingly keeping her cool.

"Is it now? Well Luke." Vader spat. "I will be taking Sabé. Good day." Vader said throwing Sabé into his closed top speeder and locking the door.

"What?! You can't just do that!" Luke said.

"I can also do this." Vader said chocking the life out of Luke. "It would be unfortunate if Sabé had any distractions" Vader said ruthlessly killing the fiancé of Sabé. Sabé was watching this entire event from the speeder and when Vader climbed in she immediately began battering him with questions. Vader ignored her desperate cries and drove off.

 **Coruscant**

Tisiphone and Ceres sat down together in an isolated part of Ceres' residence. The room in itself was lavishly decorated with a vibrant combination of red and black.

"So, your off then…" Ceres said tiredly.

"Indeed. I cannot waste a chance at Kenobi. Sorry I can't help you with Leucosia." Tisiphone said apologetically. At the mention of Leucosia both fell silent. They had been closer to her than any of the others in the order. Leucosia was a sister to Tisiphone (despite their great difference in age). Together they had shared the dark rage of loss for their loved ones. It was poetic that their loved ones returning was what had now seemingly drove them apart.

On the other hand, Leucosia was Ceres' mother figure. In a sense both were very close the traitorous Togruta.

"I hate Sidious." Ceres suddenly said without warning. Tisiphone glanced up sharply before replying with caution.

"Why?"

"Because, of what he is doing to me. I hate how both you and Leucosia have got their loved ones back in one form or another. Whilst, I'm here sticking to someone who is so pathetically wrapped up in his grief for his wife that he would resort to fucking any old Naboo girl just to relive a few moments of his past passion." Ceres spat sounding like the sulky teenager she was.

"And that's not it." Ceres continued. "I know that Sidious knows what I'm going through and he plays me like a fiddle. I'm going to Leucosia so he can show me what I will never have. He will twist me into a monster using my love for Vader just as he used Vader's love for Padmé." Ceres shouted spitting the last word out with disgust. "And do you know what the worse part is? I'm playing his song like the good little fiddle I am. I'm just a pawn and all Sidious wants to have another 'perfect' apprentice at his disposal."

"I understand what you mean Ceres. Sidious has played on all of our loves. When Maul died I condemned myself to darkness forever. For months I was just like Xeraph: cold, vicious and unfeeling. But, when Levi was born my life was changed forever. It was the same with Leucosia. We sank our affection into those around us. That is how we maintained our sanity." Tisiphone said recalling the times she had raised Levi.

"I get that. But, what should I latch onto? I'm to young to mother a child." Ceres exclaimed.

"I can't help you their. You need to find something that fulfils you. But, if I can offer one piece of advice it would be this: do not give into cheap sex. I would imagine that I have been in more beds than the rest of the Sith order combined and I can tell you that cheap sex is exactly that. Its cheep and does nothing to help you. All it will remind you of is what you can't have." Tisiphone said. Suddenly her comm beeped.

 _"Lady Tisiphone. The fleet is ready to depart."_ A clone trooper said.

"Very well. I am on my way." Tisiphone said closing the connection and turning to Ceres. "Sorry we couldn't talk more. But, duty calls." Tisiphone said tightening her belt and leaving the room. As Tisiphone left it suddenly dawned on Ceres that that was the first genuine conversation she had ever had with Tisiphone. There was not a hint of deception or sarcasm anywhere in what she said. Ceres needed to prepare as well.

 **Naboo**

Vader had taken Sabé to lake Varykino. The Beautiful Lake was the peak of Naboo's natural beauty. The sparkling waters reminded Vader of the days he still had her. HIS angel. Padmé…

"What are you going to do with me?!" Sabé demanded furiously as Vader sat her down on one of the many sofas, which decorated the villa.

"You are mine Sabé. Mine now and forever more." Vader hissed. He tossed her an outfit. It was a white crop top with white pants. Noticeably the crop top had stitches along its back. With ever increasing horror Sabé recognised the top as one that her former mistress Padmé had worn frequently.

"Who are you? Why do you have these things?" Sabé asked. If only Anakin were still alive. He would kill this creep for disrespecting Padmé's memory Sabé thought.

"Oh Anakin died along time ago. But, if you wish to see my face then so be it." Vader said lifting his mask for the first time in months. Behind it was the face of Anakin Skywalker. But, it was different. His hairs were mangled and overgrown having spent many months behind the mask. His face was dark and dangerous with a distinct edge to it. But, what shocked Sabé most of all were the two burning yellow eyes.

"It cannot be…" Sabé murmured.

"It is. Now get changed." Vader ordered leaving the room to fix his new prosthetics on with the help of a droid. As soon as Vader left the room Sabé visibly relaxed before reluctantly getting changed. She knew that Anakin (or Vader as he now called himself) loved Padmé but what on earth did he want with her.

A few minutes later Vader came into the room having fitted his realistic prosthetics and out of his suit. It was incredibly disconcerting for Sabé to see the man her mistress had loved for so many years in such a terrifying form.

"I see you have got changed. Now undress." Vader demanded.

"No." Sabé replied bravely. Vader was taken aback.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said no lord Vader. I will not become your whore and by extension a pathetic replacement for Padmé."

"You will address me as Ani. Not Vader." Vader hissed. Then he pressed his fingers together to begin a force choke on Sabé. "You will do as I ask or suffer the consequences." Sabé nodded obviously terrified. "Now undress!" Vader demanded. Under the watchful eye of the dark lord of the Sith Sabé did as she commanded.

"Any more orders Ani?" Sabé spat.

"I think you know what's next angel." Vader replied curtly.

 **Three hours later**

Vader had finally finished with Sabé. If felt good to let rip his desire on something. He looked forward to doing it again. Sabé was his and his alone. The girl had resisted him at first. But, soon Vader overcame her. He would enjoy doing this again…

 **Mandalore**

The imperial shuttle that Barris and Sha Koon had taken from the battlefield at Cato Neimodia landed in the Jedi occupied spaceport of Mandalore. Barris had commed ahead meaning there was Yoda and Obi-Wan anticipating her return. It had been delayed by about a week so Barris could effectively throw off any imperial's potentially shadowing her.

"Welcome back Barris." Obi-Wan said as the Mirialan female left the shuttle. Behind her floated a bed carrying Sha Koon.

"She needs medical attention." Barris said taking Sha Koon to Yoda and Obi-Wan. Yoda touched Sha Koon's forehead for a second and instinctively flinched.

"Touched by the darkness she is." Yoda muttered beginning to carefully inspect her force signature. "Explain you must."

"When I arrived in Cato Neimodia I met up with Sha Koon and Plo Koon. We fought Ceres and Vader. During the battle Plo Koon was killed. I then knocked out Sha Koon and brought her here." Barris explained neatly dodging the part where Sha Koon had given into her darkness.

"Much darkness I sense within this one." Yoda said gravely. "Watch her you will."

"Yes master." Barris said nodding.

"Why did you take an imperial shuttle Barris?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"It was the only one I could find." Barris replied. Obi-Wan nodded in reply.

 **Tisiphone's ship**

Tisiphone glared at the holo screen on her ship with a slight smile. Last week in the battle of Cato Neimodia an imperial shuttle had gone missing near the sight of Plo Koon's death (Xeraph threw quite an amusing fit at not being in the action). Now that shuttles tracker had located it at Mandalore. The same planet, which Kenobi's precious duchess resided. Tisiphone had wanted to make a visit for a while but it was not worth the effort. Now she had found him. He would PAY for the pain he had caused Maul. He would bleed and suffer for every second of pain that Maul been afflicted with. Oh she would make him PAY.

 **Coruscant**

The past week had been boring for Levi to say the least. Looking after Maul had been monotonous. It angered him that his mother was dumping her shit on top of him. He had never met Maul in his life and she expected him to look after Maul? He wanted to be hunting Leucosia and Kitnandor (mostly to beat the arrogant Jedi who had thrashed him). Not stuck in Coruscant looking after his mentally deranged father.

Taking Maul's wheel chair into a training room Levi began to viciously attack his 7th set of training droids that week. Maul watched dreamily as his son hacked the metal droids to pieces. But, before Levi could finish them all off one stabbed him in the back ending the simulation. With a shout of rage Levi threw his sabre to the ground.

"Curly horns. You're doing it all wrong sweet." Maul said from his wheel chair.

"What do you mean?!" Levi shouted.

"I mean what I say curly horns. You swing with strength but you have no guard. Didn't Eldra teach you Soresu?" Maul said. Levi turned around as quick as a whip.

"Who?" Levi asked cautiously.

"Eldra." Maul said confidently. "You know? Your… Your… Mummy?" Maul said trailing off obviously losing his brief grasp at sanity. Levi was staring at Maul in shock. That was the first coherent sentence he had put together that made actual legitimate sense. Maybe this endeavour was not so hopeless after all…

 **The Imperial palace**

Xeraph and Sidious stood in the old Jedi temple (now Sidious' luxurious residence.

"What troubles you apprentice?" Sidious asked already knowing the answer. Xeraph considered lying but the multiple burn marks on her back had already proven that that was a futile tactic. Sensing Xeraph's hesitation Sidious answered for her. "You are upset of your lack of missions and Vader's superior rank. Is that correct?"

"Yes master."

"As I thought. Well. This is all part of my plan for you." Sidious said. Xeraph looked up her yellow eyes already burning up at the thought of causing trouble.

"Your wish is my command master."

"Good. Well then I have two key assignments for you. Firstly I want you to investigate cloning technology. Specifically investigate transferring medichlorian's from one body to another."

"A Sith army?" Xeraph asked.

"No. I have told you many stories about Darth Plagueis the wise and his findings into averting death. Well, until we can also get to that stage cloning will be an easy way for you and I to live forever. But, it requires investment."

"Will this be available for any others master?" Xeraph asked already calculating how she could sabotage her fellow Sith.

"Only my apprentice who has shown me the longest loyalty will rule by my side forever. Only the apprentice who has been at my side since the death of my master and the dawn of the new golden age of the Sith will get the eternal power every Sith desires." Sidious said. The implication was clear.

"Next I need you to locate force sensitive children. We have enough Sith as it is but dark adepts will be needed to do our dirty work for us. That is where you come in. I want you to locate children seven and under with force sensitivity. I am already setting up a facility to contain these children. For now we will use turned Jedi to supplement our ranks of dark side users. Feel free to turn any you find." Sidious said. "I want you to take a personal role in training these children."

"As you wish master." Xeraph said bowing. "I shall begin immediately."

As Xeraph left the room Sidious let loose a cackle. It was pathetically easy to manipulate the girl into doing his bidding. She needed some encouragement but at the end of the day she was his. She would serve him loyally and faithfully forever.

Opening up his data pad Sidious began to flick through imperial women. Marrying off Vader and giving him an air was key to his plan. Sidious needed to make sure Vader went with the most hideous woman possible. It would also have the added bonus of driving Ceres further into the darkness with the knowledge that she would never have Vader. Putting the pair together to select Vader's new wife would work well. Not only would it torture Ceres on this inside; it would also hurt Vader, as he had to replace Padmé in his heart. Sidious liked to consider himself a genius. But, he felt like he was outdoing himself time and time again when it came down to keeping his order in the dark…

 **Yavin IV**

Leucosia and Kitnandor had landed outside the ancient Sith temple on Yavin IV. It was here that they would make their stand against whatever Ceres had for them.

"Why are we here?" Kitnandor asked groggily having put his faith in Leucosia to drive the ship.

"The Sith temple will obscure your light."

"And what about your own Shaak?" Kitnandor asked pointedly already sensing the darkness flowing through Leucosia. In response the Togruta let out a cruel laugh.

"Ceres is angry. I may be able to combat her but only if I tap into the energy of this temple." Leucosia replied before closing her eyes to sink into the darkness. Kitnandor took a few moments to register what his wife was saying. The darkness of the temple would obscure him saving his life as Shaak fought Ceres. There was always a risk that Shaak would lose so she was trying to save him.

"No." Kitnandor replied stubbornly.

"I'm sorry? This is the best way. I cannot guaranty your safety if you are out here. I… I don't want to lose you again." Leucosia said softly remembering the day she thought she lost Kitnandor forever…

"I have waited years to see you again. I'm not about to lose you." Kitnandor replied solidly. "We stand a better chance together." Kitnandor said stroking Leucosia's cheek. Her soft yellow eyes flickered blue for a moment before they went back to their normal colour.

"If that's the case let's practise." Leucosia said turning to her husband. Kitnandor nodded and ignited his sabre. This was the second time he had fought a Sith in open combat. The first thing he noticed was how different Leucosia's fighting style was to Levi.

Levi had been like a wild animal. He was swinging his sabre everywhere attempting to hack at anything and everything in a desperate attempt to win a duel. On the other hand, Leucosia was exceptionally precise with her fighting engaging in vicious jabs and constantly pressuring Kitnandor. Despite his wife's exceptional attacks the duel ended in a messy draw.

 **Ceres' ship**

Ceres was pissed. And that was putting it lightly. The more she thought about the way Leucosia left the Sith the more it pissed her off. There was no warning, no final word left to HER. Leucosia just left. For some man she liked years ago. Although, that was not the root cause of Ceres; anger. Mainly it stemmed from jealousy. Ceres was jealous that Leucosia (and Tisiphone to a lesser extent) had gotten the men they loved whilst Ceres had got nothing. ABOLUTELY NOTHING. She would never be Vader's angel. She would never be loved by anyone. She would end up just like Xeraph. A living extension of Sidious' will. The worst part about it was that no matter how hard Ceres tried she knew that she would eventually end up like that.

It hadn't been that hard to track down Leucosia. Her force signature was easy enough to follow but it was the combat Ceres was worried about. All her life Leucosia had been presented as an insurmountable obstacle. A fighter she could never surpass. And from Levi's description her husband was just as skilled. Suddenly the light of hyperspace faded and Ceres dropped into the atmosphere of Yavin IV. It was time…

As Ceres burst out from her ship in Yavin IV Leucosia felt a cold claw grip her heart. There was something about the raw rage that Ceres wielded and the way she swung her sabres before the battle had even begun that made Leucosia think that she could not take her. Leucosia sheathed her sabre and motioned to Kitnandor to do the same.

"Ceres stop!" Leucosia shouted as the young Togruta halted.

"Why should I?" Ceres spat like a sulky teenager.

"Why are you here?" Leucosia said trying to get a grasp on Ceres' motives.

"Because, MY master instructed it Leucosia."

"But, why are YOU here Ceres? Do you truly wish to go down the same path as Xeraph?" Leucosia said. Ceres hesitated before replying quietly.

"You don't understand do you? But, that is no surprise. You never understood me did you? I was just a replacement for your precious Jedi. And now that he has returned I'm going to be cast aside. That's it isn't it?" Ceres shouted obviously having her judgment clouded by the dark side.

"No…" Leucosia said softly.

"Then what is it huh? Why have you abandoned me to Sidious then? WHY?!" Ceres screamed with all her hate. She began advancing again.

"You don't understand. You never replaced Kitnandor for me Ceres. You did something else that I could have never experienced otherwise. You made me a mother."

"Uh huh. So why is it that your now running off to Kitnandor? I know you've just replaced me in your heart. So why lie about it?"

"You're getting it wrong. You are Kitnandor are both vital parts of what I love in this world. I could not live without either of you." Ceres stopped to consider this argument. "Ceres. I sense your pain. You love someone who may never love you back." Leucosia said referring to Vader. At that Ceres spat on the floor.

"Don't remind me."

"Please Ceres. Please leave us in peace."

"You don't understand. It's not fair! Both you and Tisiphone got your loved ones back. And I'm left here trying my best to be happy for you. I have to watch as you go happily into the sunset whilst I remain fostering my anger." Leucosia sensed the implication.

"Ceres. The only piece of advice I can give you is to try not to replace Padmé in Vader's heart. Be something different and unique. If you do that I know you'll find your way." Leucosia said. Finally Ceres seemed to accept the answer.

"Thank you… As far the world is concerned you two defeated me and knocked me unconscious." And with that Ceres left.

 **A/N I really think I did not do that last bit right. I don't know why that's just what I think. Reviews are always appreciated. Hopefully that bit with Sabé wasn't too explicit. I really wanted to depict how insane Vader has become with his desire for Padmé.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Well it took me a while to figure out how to start this but hopefully this will end well.**

Xeraph scuttled into the caverns below the old Jedi temple (and by extension Sidious' palace). It was here that the dark side energy of the old Sith shrine was at its strongest. This meant that most of the dark side experiments the Sith performed were done in this area. It was also where the Empire had gained access to a huge amount of old tunnels under Coruscant. These led to the residences of a large amount of imperial officials including many Sith. If any of them ever turned on Sidious he could be in their houses within minutes. As Xeraph scuttled through the corridors she expanded her senses detecting other Jedi that had been captured. A lot had survived the purges. This was partially intentional. If ever a Sith got killed there would be an easy replacement in the ranks of the dark Jedi. It also allowed the Sith to grip the galaxy in an incredibly tight way. What none of the others in the order appreciated was that controlling the dark Jedi was vital to holding a dark empire together. None of the dark Jedi were skilled enough to challenge any Sith but they all shared a desire for power and influence. Gaining them as allies was vital in order to have a loyal list of acolytes. No one apart from Xeraph was even attempting to make a move in that direction.

Finally Xeraph entered her room. Suspended in the air was Ferus Olin. Her old apprentice. Ferus spat at Xeraph not even bothering to greet her.

"I'm disappointed in you Ferus. I know I was moved to the Agri Corps but surely that's not the way to greet your old master?"

"Only a master of evil Xeraph." Ferus replied bravely.

"Oh how delightfully noble. So if I'm the master of evil does that make you its apprentice?" Xeraph asked with a smirk.

"I will never join you Xeraph."

"Really now? You know. I was a bit younger than you when I first pledged myself to the dark side. Siri Tachi could have never considered it. But, Sidious showed me the truth." Xeraph said fondly.

"That Obi-Wan would never fuck you?" Ferus taunted. He knew he was going to die. So, he might as well piss Xeraph off. At that Xeraph turned around and almost blasted Ferus out of existence but at the last second Xeraph restrained herself.

"Whatever the truth of that matter is I know that truth of this matter. And, that is that you are mine. Ferus Olin. Mine forever." Xeraph said lovingly stroking his cheek. All of a sudden, a burst of lightning sprung from her fingertips. Ferus let loose an immense scream as Xeraph laughed before speaking again, "You see Ferus? It's not a matter of if you become mine. It is a matter of when. It is a matter of when you realise that it is pointless to resist. I will show you the truth just like Sidious did to me…"

 **Mandalore**

"Lady Tisiphone. What an unexpected pleasure. I did not expect a visit from the empire so soon.

"Cut the crap Satine. I know you are harbouring Jedi." Tisiphone said. Satine's face at that moment was truly priceless. It had a momentary look of pure horror, which shifted to a touching of fear before Satine slipped back into her politician face.

"What gave you that impression?" Satine said curiously desperately stalling for something.

"Hmmmm. Let me think. Maybe it was the tracker that led me right to you? The multiple testimonies from your staff? Or maybe. Just maybe it might have been the fact that you're pregnant with Kenobi's child." Tisiphone said with glee. Now that shattered Satine's relatively calm face.

"How. How how do you know?" Satine spluttered.

"I can sense force sensitive children from a mile off. I've killed a fair few in the womb as well." Tisiphone hissed approaching Satine.

"You monster! You wouldn't!" Satine shouted horrified.

"Don't worry dear. I have a fair more poetic fate in mind for you. You probably have not heard that my late husband Darth Maul is actually alive." Tisiphone said smirking as Satine watched her in fear. "But, when I discovered him he was in a state. Cause by Kenobi. So, now it is only fair that I repay the favour don't you think?"

And with that Tisiphone ripped into Satine's in the most brutal way possible. She used her experience in trawling through Maul's mind to fuck up Satine's in the cruellest way possible. She reconnected memories in awful strings. Made Satine misremember things. Tisiphone's personal favourite trick was when she restrung her memories about her first night with Obi-Wan and reconnected it with a nightmare of Satine being raped. She would make Kenobi PAY. He would PAY for every ounce of pain he inflicted on her family. Oh he would PAY.

 **The emperor's palace**

"I have to say Lady Ceres. I am very disappointed in you." Sidious snarled. After Ceres relayed her report about her confrontation with Kitnandor and Leucosia.

"I understand that master. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit." Ceres said bracing herself for the inevitable lightning blast.

"We all errors Ceres. And my mistake was sending you in to fight two skilled force sensitive's alone. I suggest you take a relaxing leave Ceres. Join Vader at Naboo. You may assist him with certain tasks when the time comes." Sidious said silkily. Ceres frowned trying to detect the catch. But, she could not locate anything.

"Thank you master." Ceres said bowing deeply and leaving.

 **Naboo (lake Varykino)**

Sabé tried to gauge her situation. She had been with Vader for a week and in that week she felt like she had aged seven years. Sabé had spent the past seven days in a constant state of fear. She never knew when Vader would come to 'claim' her as his 'angel' again but every time he arrived Sabé could feel a little bit of what made Sabé who she was being eroded away. It was only a matter of time before her identity was crushed and she 'ascended' to become the woman Vader loved in all but name.

What scared Sabé the most is the more of her experience with Vader more she wondered. What had convinced Padmé to marry him? She kept on trying to tell herself that Vader was a different man to Anakin. But, if this sadistic brute was so easily able to inflict pain on her now what was he like when he was with Padmé. It seemed to Sabé that with the flip of a switch the emperor had made Vader a monster. But, surely these personalities were just lying in wait? Like a genetic disease just waiting for a moment to spring up.

Naturally for Sabé it was a great relief when Ceres arrived. The Togruta Sith seemed to be leaving more to the imagination than usual. Which, was unusual for Ceres considering her infatuation with Vader. Vader seemed to notice it as well.

"Ceres. You seem to be less scandalous lately." Vader said with a smirk.

"Vader. It is good to see you are out of your suit. Whatever those motives may be." Ceres said with a smirk sliding Sabé a look. At this the Nubian girl recoiled. She hoped Ceres would draw attention away from her, not towards her.

"Leave us angel." Vader instructed. Sabé nodded at once eager to escape the room. "What do you want Ceres?"

"I have orders from Sidious. He has instructed me to insist on helping you find a new wife." Ceres said with a sigh. At that Vader's eyes flared.

"The arrogance of that bastard. Are these orders?" Vader said already trying to find a way to squirm out of his situation.

"Yes. His 'suggestions' will be arriving tomorrow. Do take the time to prepare yourself Vader." Ceres sighed.

"Something on your mind Snips?" Vader asked casually.

"How bitchy Sidious is. That's all."

 **Coruscant (Tisiphone's residence)**

Levi was rather relaxed now. He had been looking after his father for a total of three weeks and they had become increasingly enjoyable. His mother had tried to dig through Maul's brain and cause key memories to surface. But, Levi had soon learned that a far more effective method was to just talk. The more he talked with Maul the more he learned and although Maul still seemed to struggle with some memories he was making some progress. It was with this attitude that Levi greeted Tisiphone with when she returned.

"Hello mother. How was your assignment?" Levi asked. In actual honestly he had already gotten a bit of information but he sensed a powerful dark wave emanate from his mother during her mission so he wanted to understand what the cause of it was.

"Lets just say that I inflicted the same pain on Kenobi that he inflicted on me." Tisiphone said her eyes glowing feverishly. Levi frowned not quite getting the message until it dawned on him.

"Satine?" Levi asked in disgust. He had spent the clone wars as Obi-Wan's Padawan and because of that had met the duchess of Mandalore on multiple occasions. She was a weak-minded pacifist.

"Precisely." Tisiphone replied with a smug smile on her face. As if she was a child who had just found her sibling doing something wrong. "How's Maul doing?"

"Better. Much better. He has told me a lot you know." Levi said with a slight smile.

"Like?"

"How he freed you from the Jedi and a life of slavery." Levi said. Key memories with Tisiphone were now somewhat intact thanks to Levi.

"Any more?" Tisiphone asked anxiously.

"No"

"Good. I'll see him in a bit. I just need to make a quick holo call." Tisiphone said already going back into her ship. Levi's Lekku curled a bit at this. When that happened it was normally because the force was telling him something was being hidden from him. His mother was good at hiding things though so Levi let it slip.

Tisiphone knelt before her Holo projector and waited. Right on queue the dark figure of Sidious appeared.

 _"Ah Tisiphone. I was just about to call you. I have located a Sith ritual that can revive Maul's memory. I will be at your residence as soon as possible."_ Sidious said sensing something was off. The sooner he drew Tisiphone, Maul and Levi into the dark the better.

"I thank you for the offer master but I must decline. " Tisiphone said. She was obviously suspicious of Sidious' motives. Sidious hid his displeasure well but Tisiphone could sense through their bond that he was fuming.

 _"As you wish apprentice. You are dismissed."_ Sidious said switching the holo off. In his palace the Sith lord almost immediately sank into a meditation. He reflected on the current situation. His plot to break apart Tisiphone and Maul had failed. But, whatever Tisiphone did on Mandalore did draw her more into the darkness so that was a positive.

Hopefully Ceres 'assisting' Vader in selecting a wife would draw her into the darkness well and truly beyond the point of no return. Tisiphone would need something to get her out of Coruscant. Now that Leucosia was gone most of the pro-imperial aliens were rallying behind her. Sidious knew that Tisiphone wouldn't try a coup (she was far to lazy to become empress) but there was always a chance that she would find a neat little figurehead to prop up.

Sidious wanted her in the outer rim, preferably with a lot of spies near by. An extended role as governor/ enforcer of the outer rim would help Sidious keep her out of Coruscant. With luck a state marriage with Vader (on empire day to remind him of Padmé) would give Sidious all he needed for him to survive forever, a young extremely powerful host (such as a child of Vader). Sidious might get one for Xeraph if she behaved.

For now though Sidious needed to focus on his dark Jedi. Ceres just captured a batch and he had no doubt Xeraph was working away on a few right now. It was worth Sidious' efforts to grab a few as well. He would enjoy playing his dark Jedi (all self important pawns) for the pleasure of watching the stronger ones rise up only to be torn down later on.

 **Underneath the imperial palace**

Xeraph had just finished up Ferus Olin. It had taken her exactly 12 hours, 48 minutes and 28 seconds to break him. To get him to the point where he was literally begging to serve her. Of course Xeraph was happy to oblige. Her new toy was a crumpled mess on the floor. Xeraph was already preparing to make as much use out of him as possible.

 **A/N Sorry this one took so long to get out. I've been struggling to write this chapter for a while. I hope you enjoyed and reviews are ALWAYS appreciated.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N Welp. Here comes the next one. Hopefully this won't take as long to get out.**

The fifth woman to make her case for being Vader's bride that day was now a corpse on the floor. Due to Ceres' assistance Vader found it much easier to dispose of the corpses. He would choke the lady and Ceres would burn her. It was surprisingly efficient.

The next one was a masked creature with disgustingly brown hair and sharp brown eyes. Vader didn't even give this one the chance to have an exchange. She was dead before she could say a word.

"I'm going in. Clean up the mess outside will you?" Vader said. Ceres knew exactly what Vader meant by 'going in.' The Togruta Sith pitied the Nubian girl. She also pitied Vader. Tisiphone's main piece of advice to Ceres had been to not give into cheap replacements for what was missing. And that was exactly what Vader was doing.

As Vader walked back into the villa he could already sense Sabé slipping way. But, for once she was not his primary interest. Switching on his Holo Vader called Tisiphone. When the holo switched on Tisiphone turned around with mock surprise. Vader desperately tried to find a part of Tisiphone to focus on. She was the only Sith who dressed more scandalously than Ceres (and that was saying a lot). Eventually Vader settled on Tisiphone's left Lekku. Tisiphone revelled in Vader's discomfort.

 _"Well well well. What can I do for the great lord Vader?"_ Tisiphone said mockingly.

"I… I need your help." Vader said hesitantly.

 _"Need MY help? Now what could you need that for?"_ Tisiphone asked sarcastically. She knew Vader looked down on her and Tisiphone would milk the opportunity to make him feel nervous.

"Yes. Sidious has demanded I select a wife. But, the options he has given are… dissatisfactory."

 _"He should have sent a Nubian. They always scratch your itch."_ Tisiphone said with a smirk watching as Vader's face fell. He didn't think she would know that. _"What you need to understand Vader is the statement this marriage will make."_

"I'm marrying to get an heir. Nothing more; nothing less."

 _"I'm sure that's what you want but this is an opportunity for YOU to make a statement about your opinions on what the empire is doing. Let's go down the list:_

 _Do you approve of the empires tolerance of Slavery?"_

"Of course not!"

 _"Do you approve of the empires treatment of aliens?"_

"No. I fought alongside many of these 'weak' species in the clone wars. The empire gains nothing from isolating potential allies."

 _"Very well. And what of the Moff's and Senate?"_

"They can all burn in hell."

 _"So, you want to marry someone who has few ties to the senate, someone who can provide you with an heir and someone who will help you rally the support of the slaves and aliens."_

"Why do I need there support?"

 _"My dear Vader. You are an outsider to politics; very few of the Moff's and senators would support you. You need to gain support where they don't have it. And that support lies with those who are being hurt by Sidious' regime. Sidious is giving a governing role in the outer rim. If you want to become emperor you will need someone in a position to rally that support. I am that person."_

"Hmph. Why should I trust you?" Vader asked inquisitively. Tisiphone was a lazy ass. It was out of her personality to be offering this kind of assistance.

 _"You shouldn't. I've been Sidious' apprentice for longer than you have. I know what he is capable of. You want to become emperor. I'm offering you an easy route to it."_

"What do you want?" Vader wasn't a politician by any stretch but he knew Tisiphone wanted something.

 _"I want to pick your wife. And if we do knock out Sidious I want to increase my influence and hold it down for my family."_

"We can talk about knocking out Sidious later. Who do you want me to marry? But, if your pick is unsatisfactory I will give them the same treatment every other girl Sidious sent me has got." Vader threatened. Tisiphone raised her eyes in smug surprise that Vader had given in faster than she expected.

 _"I've picked someone who fulfils all the qualities I've talked about. I'm sure you'll approve once you get over the initial shock."_

"Just tell me who." Vader shouted angrily finally having enough of Tisiphone's games.

 _"Ceres."_ Tisiphone said without batting an eyelid. It was good thing she didn't because it allowed her to see Vader's face in its full glory.

"That's preposterous. She's barely nineteen." Vader shouted.

 _"How old where you when you married Padmé?"_

"How do you even know that?! Anyway for me and Padmé it was different." Vader said trying very hard not to recall his wonderful days with Padmé.

 _"Or is it? Someone far younger having a childish crush? Which eventually develops into an all consuming desire to posses?"_ Tisiphone said smugly. _"I'll give you some time to consider Vader. But, that's my recommendation."_ With that final statement Tisiphone switched off the holo and left Vader to his thoughts.

As this conversation was going on Ceres was also having a holo call. She was having a holo call with Kalifa. Kalifa had been trapped (and abandoned by the Jedi) to be hunted for sport. When Ceres was also momentarily trapped it had been an easy game to turn the girl. She had so much hate built up in her. Especially when the Trandoshans 'killed her companions' (they had died pathetically at Ceres' hand).

Now she was Ceres' number two. Obviously Ceres was chasing other potential dark Jedi (competition always sharpened there skills) but for now Ceres was setting Kalifa to turn future acolytes. It was easy. Kalifa would make Ceres' new acolytes life's painful. Then they would hate each other driving both deeper into the darkness (and to serve Ceres with greater efficiency). Ceres was going to try this with Barris and Kalifa but unfortunately it did not play out how Ceres wanted it.

 _"I have the subjects strung up now. I'm putting them through basic electrical torture."_ Kalifa said very detached from what she was doing to beings that were essentially children. _"They are all younglings barring one who is a Padawan. The darkness in the caves is seeping into them as well. It won't take long to turn them; if they survive the process."_

"If they don't it will be on you Kalifa. Remember that." Ceres said. "When I arrive back to Coruscant I will be seeing them immediately. Be sure that you do your work well." Ceres said. "You are dismissed." Kalifa bowed and the call was ended.

"Who are you turning?" Vader asked walking onto the balcony. At this point the sun was setting across lake Varykino sending beautiful colours across the water.

"Just some Jedi that I babysat for the gathering." Ceres said referring to the Jedi trial.

"Aren't you worried that you're going to be babysitting them in the dark side as well?"

"Kalifa will make sure that if they need babysitting they won't get it."

"You put a lot of faith in that girl."

"She gets the job done. You should find a dark Jedi. There is a surprising amount who would give everything to be taught by the great Darth Vader."

"Hmph. After my last Padawan I don't feel anxious to take a new one." Vader joked. Ceres laughed.

"Did you enjoy yourself with the girl?" Ceres said changing the conversation. The Togruta had made it very clear that she disapproved of Vader's actions with the Sabé.

"As a matter of fact I was not with Sabé today. I was speaking with Tisiphone." Vader said recalling his conversation with the Twi'lek Sith.

"Were you now? What was that about?" Ceres said not very subtly poking for information.

"About who I'm going to marry." Vader said. Immediately Ceres' interest rose. What kind of advice would Tisiphone give?

"Well. What did she want?" Ceres said immediately noticing Vader's hesitation. Something was very off.

"She wanted me to." Vader said trailing off.

"She wanted you to what?" Ceres asked impatiently

"She wanted me to marry you." Vader said in a second. Ceres halted her next jab at Vader in an instant. "So, will you marry me?" Vader asked. It felt stupid. Why would Ceres say yes? She was practically a girl for crying out loud! Ceres looked at Vader in shock. She had always dreamed of this but had never actually acknowledged it as a possibility. Furthermore, why would Tisiphone go out of her way to make this happen? What did she hope to gain from this?

"Yes…" Ceres said trailing off not entirely sure about herself. Vader nodded formally to Ceres.

"I want you to understand that I will never feel the same way about you that you do to me." Vader said formally. Ceres nodded. The pair had much to discuss.

 **Coruscant**

Sidious opened one cruel eye with its yellow glow illuminating the chamber he was meditating in. Something had gone wrong; another hitch in his plans for universal dominance. It was quite aggravating really, he had gone through all this effort to get where he was and it was only a few minor setbacks preventing galaxy wide domination. He would have to go to Korriban. That was the only answer to his problems. The Sith home world would teach him what he needed to know.

 **Lothal**

Kitnandor burst into the apartment he shared with Leucosia with a broad grin on his face. The apartment the pair shared was a small room with a double bed and then a fresher attached. It was about as quick and easy as you would expect.

"I have the grant!" He shouted with joy. At this Leucosia turned in surprise. Her husband had concocted a business plan overnight in a frenzy of inspiration. He had been scouting for information in a bar somewhere and he had came back like a man possessed by the devil.

He would get a grant from a company to build an orphanage/ day care centre. It would be funded by a small business that he and the children would run as well as donations from wealthy patrons. The orphanage would give children with awful home lives an escape from the there parents and give children who had been orphaned a home until Kitnandor could find them a new one. It was a noble cause but Leucosia had many doubts. Especially the fact that no sensible company would fund it. But, on that Leucosia seemed to be mistaken.

"You mean those fools trusted you?" She said with a hint of sarcasm. At this Kitnandor hesitated. "What did you do?" Kitnandor hesitated. He had obvious indecision on his face.

"I uhhhh. I-"

"Used the force unethically to swindle a company out of its money. Leave that kind of stuff to me okay? I've done far worse…" Leucosia said with a shiver stroking her belly. Kitnandor smiled obviously relieved that the conversation had changed topic.

"Yeah. And that's why you can't have more of a stain on your record. This is a new start for both of us." Kitnandor said sitting on the bed next to his wife stroking her belly lovingly. At that Leucosia smiled. If only it was that easy…

 **Vader's ship (Hyperspace)**

Vader travelled in style. Sabé knew that much from her short time on his luxury cruiser. It was obvious from Sabé's point of view that he was unused to the wealth and luxury which came of being the emperors number two (not surprising considering his upbringing). Her own suite was pleasant and far above the standards she was used to. Vader had been careful with her. There were no knifes lying around and no thick material either. She remembered Vader's words in her head after her first night with him:

 _"You are MY angel. And I will not lose MY angel again. Understood?"_

Life was cruel. She had lost her best friend and her fiancé within a year. Now she was stuck with a psychotic monster for the rest of her pitiful existence. If she could have ended it then she would have. But, whatever celestial being that controlled this world seemed to enjoy prolonging her painful existence. Suddenly the door to her suite opened with a hiss. Sabé naturally recoiled but to her surprise it was not Vader who marched in with eager anticipation in his eyes but Ceres with a cruel glint.

"Whore." Ceres said curtly. Sabé barely registered the insult. "You're a whore. Aren't you whore?" Ceres spat her voice laced with venom.

"Yes I am Lady Ceres." Sabé replied not wanting to provoke the Sith lady.

"Did I give you permission to use my name? You will address me a mistress. Is that clear whore?"

"Yes… Mistress." Sabé said terrified of a Togruta far younger than her. The way Vader treated her was degrading and humiliating. But, this was on a whole new level. Ceres was not even bothering to recognise Sabé. It was even coming into this room was a nuisance for her.

"Very good Whore. Now for the purpose of my visit: you are the whore of MY future husband Darth Vader. You will act as such. If you do anything to get in between me and Vader I will personally make the rest of your pitiful existence worse beyond your imagination." Ceres hissed digging her nails painfully into Sabé's chest. "Is that understood whore?"

"Yes… Mistress." Sabé said struggling to get the words out of her mouth.

"Good. Now be a good whore will you?" Ceres said leaving the room not even giving Sabé a second glance. Sabé lent back in her bed and cried softly. She had lost so much and it seemed that Ceres was only intent on making her life worse. Sabé opened her wardrobe and to her horror found a completely different set of outfits. Each was more scandalous than the last and all were not in any way Padmé's taste. Padmé's beauty came from its subtlety. No man knew much of what was underneath what she wore but every man desired it. In his all consuming desire for what he lost Vader seemed to have forgotten what made Padmé beautiful in the first place…

 **The outer rim**

The outpost that the Jedi had settled on was on an asteroid far away from any imperial presence. The building itself was an old beaten down mining facility. Sha Koon was in a chamber with Barris and Yoda. The grandmaster had just come to decision on the fate of Sha Koon.

"Decided your fate I have young one." Yoda said mysteriously. Sha Koon was breathing heavily. She had embraced the darkness. She deserved Yoda's judgement.

"Remain with us you shall." Yoda said carefully. The relief flooded Sha Koon's face. Barris on the other hand raised her eyes in surprise. She had not expected Yoda to allow Sha Koon to stay and had clearly been expecting a fight.

"Thank you master. I- I will not let you down." Sha Koon said tears of relief pouring down her cheeks.

"Let me down, you will not. Leave you may." Yoda said smiling. Sha Koon left the room. Barris hung behind. "On your mind, something is?"

"Yes master. It's just, when I did well; what I did. I never thought that the order would reach out in forgiveness to those it would deem lost. And, when I first came here I never thought that the Jedi would change their ways. But, you have and I'm grateful." Barris said letting out her feelings. "You'll be glad to know my assignment to Lothal went well master."

"Made contact you did?" Yoda asked.

"Yes master. He was surprisingly responsive. I think what I sensed in her persuaded him that it was the best decision." Barris said carefully trying not to be specific. Before Yoda could reply Obi-Wan sprinted into the room at a break-neck pace.

"Barris. I need you!" Obi-Wan shouted.

"What for?" Barris said turning in shock.

"Satine. Please hurry!" Obi-Wan said already sprinting out of the room. Barris followed at a rapid pace. Once she caught up with the frantic Obi-Wan she started shooting questions at him.

"What's going on?"

"We found Satine in an imperial transport. She is in a comma. I need a medic." Obi-Wan said as the two stumbled into a medical ward. Obi-Wan lead Barris to a private room; where Satine was in a bed unconscious. Her normally regal posture was replaced a helpless mess of hair and skin.

"I'll see what I can do." Barris said using the force to check over Satine. Obi-Wan paced. Then sighed. Then paced some more. Yoda entered the room and immediately seemed to sense something amiss. Barris ran her hands across Satine's chest, then her forehead. After about an hour of intense waiting Barris finally turned to the anxious Jedi masters.

"Physically she's fine. A bump on the head and a few bruises but other than that she's okay. But, she's pregnant…" Barris said gauging the Jedi's reaction. Obi-Wan's face tried to hide his guilt.

"A loss of control you had?" Yoda asked Obi-Wan with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yes master. Multiple times actually." Obi-Wan said bowing his head in shame. Yoda sighed.

"Well that doesn't matter as of now masters." Barris said saving Obi-Wan's skin. "What I want to talk about is her mental state." Barris said nervously.

"Go on…" Obi-Wan said cautiously.

"She's a wreck to put it bluntly. Her mind is twisted in the most awful ways possible. I can't make a head or tale of it and I think the only way to gain a basic understanding of what has happened will be to wake her up." Barris said nervously. "But, I want your permission first."

"Of course. Do what you must." Obi-Wan said. Barris nodded and closed her eyes. Within a few moments Satine's eyes opened. Immediately everything started to go wrong. She took one look at Obi-Wan and let loose an unearthly shriek and leaped out of bed grabbing Obi-Wan around the throat. For a moment everyone stood still. Barris was frozen with shock, Yoda was frowning in surprise and Obi-Wan was in no position to do anything. Thinking fast Barris injected Satine with a drug, which sent her back into a deep sleep. Obi-Wan rubbed his neck and coughed nervously.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Obi-Wan said to Barris.

 **A/N Reading through this chapter actually turned out pretty okay. I've left a lot of groundwork for future stuff here but there was not much action so I hope that's okay. On the Ceres and Vader thing: It's not going to be an AniDala riding happily off into the sunset kind of thing. So, if you got that impression in this chapter I hope I prove you wrong later. Anyway I hope you enjoyed and reviews are ALWAYS appreciated.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N Well lets see how this one goes.**

Sidious' private shuttle flew across the rocky landscape of Korriban. Sidious hated this planet. Every time he walked through the valley of dark lords he could sense the dark side itself. And every other Sith before him watching him as he marched past there graves. The vast majority were barely worth recognising. But, there were a few Sith worth studying. Of course, none of them were as great as Darth Sidious. He WAS the greatest. And he would show these arrogant dark lords the truth.

Sidious marched through the everlasting valley until he finally reached a hidden door. Slipping into it Sidious entered a round and darkened chamber. Without any warning the chamber was lit up with a dull red light and a deep voice greeted Sidious.

"Well well well. If it isn't the 'greatest' dark lord to walk the planet." The voice drawled.

"Darth Bane. You are as cheery as ever." Sidious spat turning to the location of the voice. The figure revealed itself. He was a shade of him former self. Attached to the physical world only by the power of his thoughts. Words were a powerful tool but the ghost of Darth Bane could not use them effectively.

"Oh please master. Give the poor fellow a break. He's had such a long day watching everything WE have built begin to crumble." Darth Zannah said her ghost also appearing. Sidious flinched at the appearance of Zannah. He cared nothing for sex or love but Zannah made him feel something… And Sidious didn't like it.

"We have already discussed this time and time again. What matters is if Sidious can maintain control over his order. The Sith control the galaxy and there is no civil war." Plagueis said supporting his old apprentices ambitions.

"Yet." Bane muttered. "You are just as responsible for his machinations Plagueis. You were the one who planted the idea of a Sith order in his head. You and your pathetic idea that the apprentice would not overthrow the master as I decreed." Bane snapped obviously frustrated that his legacy was being undone.

"Not my fault your idea sucked." Sidious muttered under his breath. Bane heard it. Immediately the room descended into a mess of shouting. After about a minute of this another voice cut through the argument.

"SILENCE!" Instantly all four of the Sith fell quiet. "Sidious. The very fact that we are arguing now proves Banes point. The Sith cannot live harmoniously together. But, your experiment amuses me. Continue it. Bane. The Sith evolve. Let them. Your rule was good for its time but its time has passed. Lets see what Sidious will be able to do."

"Poking your nose in again Revan? This will be the end of the Sith. I have foreseen it." Bane said angrily to Revan. Sidious took the bickering of diseased lords to exit the chamber. He hated all of them. He would show all of those arrogant fools who the greatest Sith lord was!

 **Coruscant (Tisiphone's residence)**

Ceres and Vader were negotiating the terms of there marriage with Tisiphone acting as a mediator.

"So, lets go over the terms one more time. Vader. You want to be able to continue to sleep around and-"

"I wish you wouldn't put it such blunt terms Tisiphone." Vader said cutting her off.

"So, what do you want me to call it? Raping an innocent girl for looking like your dead wife? Now as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted Ceres you want a few things." Tisiphone said pulling out a sheet of paper. It was all for show. There was no way that Tisiphone had forgotten any of Ceres' terms. "You want to be Vader's empress if he ascends to the throne. You want your children to be the heirs to the empire. And you want Vader to stay with you for at least a two third's of the year." Tisiphone said slamming the paper down on the metal table.

Ceres' last term was one of pure jealousy. She hated Sabé and wanted to make sure that Vader didn't spend all his time with her. No doubt this term would be broken at some point. "Are you to happy?" Tisiphone asked wearily. The other two Sith in the room nodded. "Then I'll send it off to the holo net."

"You're sending this to the holo net?" Vader asked with shock.

"Of course I am. This needs to be very public. The whole galaxy needs to know." Tisiphone said flashing a smile.

"I agree Vader." Ceres said standing up and pecking Vader's cheek. Vader flinched as Ceres walked off.

"She's unbearable." Vader said.

"Give her a chance. She might just surprise you." Tisiphone said in reply.

 **Underneath the palace**

Ceres marched into the room where she was holding the Jedi younglings and was immediately met by Kalifa.

"Report." Ceres ordered.

"Torture has begun. Many are already showing signs of breaking. But, one died." Kalifa said.

"Unfortunate. Who was it?" Ceres asked with curiosity gathering the dark energy within her.

"Byph the Ithorian." Kalifa said checking a data pad.

"He was a coward. Probably not cut out for the dark side anyway. You are dismissed." Ceres said without a care for the death of the Jedi youngling. As soon as Kalifa left the room Ceres eyed the younglings carefully. Six remained now. She and Levi had to escort five of them in the gathering and the sixth was Caleb Dume. Ceres could already tell from his steely face that he would be the hardest to break.

Her cruel yellow eyes sized up each of the younglings in turn hunting for a weakness. They found it. Katooni was struggling to remain conscious. Petro and Caleb could both tell that she was weakening and they were trying not to roll their eyes at Katooni's obvious failings. Under normal circumstances they would not have been so cruel but the caves underneath the palace did strange things to people. Even the most disciplined Jedi could be driven into the darkness just by being kept there. And these were not disciplined Jedi.

Ceres snapped her fingers and instantly soundproof walls appeared between Katooni and the other younglings.

"Are you okay?" Ceres asked.

"Why would you care?" Katooni asked not looking Ceres in the eye.

"Why would I not? I care about you Katooni." Ceres said.

"No you don't. You want to turn me to the dark side." Katooni said resolutely.

"I do because I care about you. Katooni, you don't belong in the light. You are far stronger than the other younglings. Show them your power." Ceres said laying the trap.

"No I'm not. I'm weak. I was the last to put together my light sabre and they all hate me. I can feel it. They hate more for me weakness." Katooni said sadly giving away far to much information.

"They do hate you don't they? Why should they? It wasn't your fault that you lot got captured. It was there's." Ceres said.

"They won't listen to me." Katooni said.

"They won't. But, I will. They don't deserve your loyalty do they? I don't. I had no clue what you were being put through. If I had known I would have come down sooner." Ceres said lacing a lie in her manipulation. It wasn't just lies though. Ceres was sinking the darkness and resentment into Katooni. It was working like a charm.

"Your right." Katooni said slowly. Ceres' manipulation was working perfectly. "I hate them. They don't give nearly enough credit. They think I'm weak but I'll show them. I'll show them all." Katooni said with determination.

"That you will Katooni." Ceres said releasing the Tholothian's binders. Falling to the floor Katooni rubbed her hands.

"Thank you for setting me free." Katooni said stretching. Ceres nodded and smiled lowering the soundproof walls. The rest of the younglings watched in horror as one of there own left with the Sith. Just before Katooni left she turned and spat on the floor before following Ceres. "That felt good." She said catching up to Ceres.

"It does feel good doesn't it?" Soon you will learn so much more than spitting at your enemies though. Katooni nodded knowing full well Ceres was referring to the dark side. In a few minutes Ceres had turned Katooni into a very willing servant of the darkness and more importantly her. Ceres showed Katooni to a room. It was specifically designed to sink newly fallen Jedi into the darkness even further. From the clothes in the wardrobe to the anti-Jedi books on the shelves Katooni would be a skilled acolyte within weeks. It was pathetically easy Ceres thought to herself leaving the room.

"When shall we begin master?" Katooni asked as Ceres left the room.

"Tomorrow. For now relax and read." Ceres answered knowing full well that she would find a very willing apprentice in the morning.

 **Vader's palace**

Vader marched into Sabé's room in a foul mood. At this point Sabé had become very skilled in detecting them. But, for once she did not feel like placating this man. She may finally have a tool to end her nightmare once and for all.

"Angel. Come here angel." Vader said practically dragging Sabé into the bedroom.

"Vader I need to tell you something" Sabé said as she was dragged onto the bed.

"What was that angel?" Vader said eyeing up Sabé. Whatever was underneath her clothes was far more important to him right now.

"Fine then. Ani I need to tell you something." Sabé spat with resentment.

"What is it angel?" Vader mused unzipping the back of her dress with the force.

"I'm pregnant." Sabé said bitterly. That would show him! She would be dumped on the streets sure but all she needed was a transport to Naboo and she would escape this mess. Vader's reaction was the complete opposite of what Sabé expected.

"This is the happiest moment of my life." Vader said with passion.

"What?! Be angry for fucks sake! Kick me out. Leave me alone. You're getting married. You don't want a bastard!" Sabé shouted.

"I could never do that to you angel. She won't be the heir to the empire but she will be the daughter of my angel I always wanted." Vader said softly stroking Sabé's belly.

"How do you know it's a girl?" Sabé asked.

"I know these things. I'll send meds to you later. For now, Let us celebrate." Vader said with reinvigorated passion. Sabé did her best to hold in her tears but they fell out anyway in a shower of agony. "Don't cry angel. Everything will be okay."

 **Four hours later**

Vader had left Sabé's room with a grin on his face. He had left Sabé a mess. This was extreme. Even for Vader. What worsened the situation was the Sith Togruta who entered the room.

"You've been a very bad whore." Ceres said to Sabé treating her like a dog.

"Forgive me mistress. I wanted to leave and I thought that this would do it." Sabé said sadly.

"Thought?! Who gave you permission to think? You're nothing but a whore for the pleasure of MY future husband. Make sure you remember it whore." Ceres shouted.

"Yes mistress." Sabé said bowing her head in shame.

 **Lothal**

Kitnandor's orphanage and day care centre had been a smash hit. So far between husband and wife they were looking after about twenty children a day. They had also successfully brought in and got adopted a tiny ginger girl called Mara Jade. A young Mirialan adopted her. Leucosia held doubts about her ability to look after Mara but Kitnandor was convinced that she would be competent.

"It's been a hard day." Kitnandor said packing away some beanbags from games.

"Am I putting on weight?" Leucosia asked also packing away beanbags. She was refusing to do the 'work' talk. Kitnandor eyed his Togruta wife. She did look bigger than normal. "Tell me the truth please. I've never put on weight before and I don't intend to start now." Leucosia said.

"Your kidding right?" Kitnandor asked. It had been about three months since there reuniting. "Your pregnant." Kitnandor said not softening his words.

"I'm sorry?" Leucosia asked.

"Your pregnant. Can't you sense him growing inside you?" Kitnandor asked with genuine curiosity.

"I suppose I couldn't…" Leucosia said airily. She had no idea how much this would change everything…

 **A/N Hope this ending wasn't to sudden. Hope you enjoyed and please review. Some slight technical difficulties as well. Sorry if you got a double notification.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N. Hope you enjoy!**

Katooni marched into the chamber where her former 'friends' had been held. Since she had left with Ceres two weeks ago the Tholothian had already undergone a rapid transformation from terrified Jedi to slave of the dark. Her black boots tapped against the stone floor as she marched in.

"Katooni?" Petro said wearily. "Have you come to save us?" He asked. The youngling was so exhausted that he was not thinking properly. Katooni coldly observed the Jedi. There were five of them left now. The only one who seemed to be holding it together was Caleb. The kid had grit.

"Take one look at her and ask yourself that again." Caleb said scowling. Katooni still treated them with silence and she walked over to a control panel. Katooni's eyes flicked over the many buttons on it before they rested on one in particular. Pressing it down the button activated the binders on the younglings sending immensely powerful electric shocks through their bodies.

Simultaneously the younglings let out shrieks of pain until after about a minute of excruciating torture Katooni finally let up. Before she could begin again

Ganodi shouted at her.

"Why are you doing this Katooni?!"

"Why am I getting my payback?" Katooni replied with arrogance.

"Payback? What are you talking about?" Ganodi replied.

"You have all betrayed me. I am merely righting that wrong." Katooni said slowly walking towards Ganodi. "And tell me Ganodi. Why do you still cling to the light?" Katooni asked hissing at the Rhodian.

"I trust in the force." Ganodi said bravely.

"What will you trust in when that is taken away from you?" Katooni asked savagely. With that she snapped her fingers and a wall appeared around Ganodi. Not only would she be isolated from her friends but the wall would also act as a force suppressant. Until Ganodi left that room she would never feel the force.

Then Katooni moved onto Zatt. Zatt could tell something was coming.

"What can I do for you Zatt?" Katooni asked. The Nautolan was shivering uncontrollably. "You are cold aren't you? I can fix that." Katooni said with a smile. She waved her hands with the force and some hidden mechanism was triggered. After a low hum the temperature in the room soared to levels similar to that of Tatooine.

Katooni would have continued sinking herself into the darkness by torturing her former friends but the room was already to hot for her. She left not even bothering to look at those she was inflicting intense suffering on.

As she walked out of the room she walked slap bang into Kalifa.

"What do you think you're doing here rat?" Kalifa spat.

"None of your business worm." Katooni spat back with equal venom.

"Well then I hope Darth Ceres has given you a task. Maybe you can move on from low skill torture and move onto actually fighting someone?" Kalifa quipped.

"At least I wasn't so bad the Jedi left me to rot on an island." Katooni shot back. That triggered it. Kalifa ignited her red sabre and charged the Tholothian. She would have run Katooni through as well if it weren't for Ceres. The Togruta froze both her troublesome acolytes in place.

"Kalifa. Why do you need to be down here to deliver those papers to Vader?" Ceres said with barely any patience as Kalifa desperately tried to formulate an excuse.

"I was… I was on my way now Master." Kalifa spluttered.

"Of course. That's why you went to the chamber about as far away from Vader as you could get." Ceres said sarcastically. "Leave before I change my mind about killing you worm." Ceres spat. Kalifa scuttled down the dark corridors leaving Katooni with Ceres.

"Go to your chambers rat. I'll deal with you later." Ceres shouted. Kalifa also ran down the corridors with equal terror.

"Those are what you call apprentices?" Levi said appearing out of the shadows. The young Twi'lek had grown extremely adept at hiding his presence in the force.

"They need a bit of progress. Now why do you want all of a sudden?" Ceres asked with curiosity.

"Well… Rumours on the street that my mum is going to be out on the outer rim soon doing outer rim stuff." Levi said. "I will be joining her to help out."

"Twenty years and you're still living with your mother. The empire has been around for two years for crying out loud. You have enough money to buy a really nice place for yourself." Ceres said.

"I know I know. But, with Maul I just can't."

"I thought you hated him."

"I did at first. But, not so much now. Tisiphone's been a crappy mother and well I see a chance to have a decent parent in him. I just want to know more about them. Who they were as a couple."

"Who would have thought one of the most feared people in the galaxy would have parent issues?" Ceres commented dryly letting loose a cold laugh.

"It's not funny. So, are you giving me an apprentice or what?" Levi said redirecting the conversation away from personal topics.

"All right spoil sport. Take your pick." Ceres said opening the chamber to where the remaining younglings were suspended. The heat inside the room was overpowering. Almost immediately both Sith felt hot. Levi surveyed the room like a farmer picking which cow he would milk for all it was worth before killing it.

"I'll take that one." Levi said pointing at Zatt. The Nautolan was dropped on the floor in a head as soon as Levi selected him. Levi picked Zatt up using the force and dragged him out of the room. Ceres followed.

As the Sith left the room with an unconscious Zatt behind them the younglings spoke.

"I hate them." Petro spat.

"Why?" Caleb asked wearily. Petro's ranting was wearing thin on him.

"To them we are nothing but toys. Toys to be played with and disposed of when convenient. That's what they will do to Katooni. That's what they will do to us. I hate it because I can't control it. I know it's going to happen to me and there is nothing I can do." Petro spat.

"Don't hate them. That is exactly what they want." Caleb warned. With that Petro sighed and the pair fell into silence once more.

 **The Imperial Palace**

"Lady Tisiphone. I am very glad to see you today." Sidious said to the Twi'lek Sith as she entered his throne room.

"What is thy bidding master?" Tisiphone said bowing to her master. She was not playing with any pleasantries Sidious had to offer.

"Why are you so formal Tisiphone? You are among friends here." Sidious said letting loose a toothy grin. Tisiphone resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Sidious walked down from his throne to be with his 'friend.'

"I was told you had an assignment for me master." Tisiphone said still keeping her head bowed.

"If you insist." Sidious sighed. "I am going to assign you on the outer rim to oversee my Moff's there. This is your permanent post until further notice. Levi will be accompanying you. Whilst, you are on the outer rim I want you to be my voice for the empire. Every action you do must be considered with me in mind. Do not do anything I would not approve of." Sidious ordered. Tisiphone sighed. It seemed that Sidious wanted to make sure she didn't get up to any mischief.

"Thank you for this role master. I will leave now." Tisiphone said turning her back on Sidious. The Sith lord rolled his eyes. Tisiphone was incredibly arrogant. As soon as she left the room Sidious called someone on his comm.

"Levi. I have fulfilled your request." Sidious said with a sickly smile.

 _"Thank you Master. I hope that this more than anything will get my mother moving."_ Levi said bowing.

"Very good Levi. Now I want you to do a mission for me before you leave." Sidious said. "I have sent you the details."

 _"Your wish is my command master."_ Levi said bowing and ending the connection.

 **Katooni's chamber**

Ceres marched into her apprentice's chamber. She could smell the fear from Katooni. Ceres would make sure that she paid for disobeying her.

"Master." Katooni said to Ceres bowing immediately.

"I am disappointed in you Katooni. I ordered you to not confront the Jedi but you did the exact opposite." Ceres said with a sharp edge to her voice.

"Forgive me master. I felt my hatred. I merely wanted to satisfy the darkness within me." Katooni replied with fear.

"Which is why I am pleased with you. You used the dark side well. As any good acolyte should do. But, you still broke orders and that price WILL be repaid." Ceres hissed letting loose a devastating blast of lightning. Katooni screamed in pain. "Use your pain. Let it fuel you my apprentice. This is a gift. Take it and use it." Ceres shouted manically as Katooni was screaming.

 **Xeraph's chamber**

Ferus Olin bowed before Xeraph. She was in an incredibly foul mood. Ferus knew immediately it was due to the lack of results from his mission.

"Report without excuses." Xeraph snapped not looking at her apprentice.

"Yes master. I went to the house you designated but the girl was not there. I tortured her parents but got nothing out of them. I accessed CCTV in local spaceports and found her going to a ship in Lothal. But, when I arrived at Lothal I could not continue the hunt." Ferus said concluding his report.

"How utterly pathetic; that I go through the trouble to give you a purpose in life and you blow it with pathetic failures!" Xeraph shouted as Ferus bowed his head in shame. "But, I am forgiving. You will not die Ferus. But, for this failure you will PAY!" Xeraph screamed readying her fingertips. Ferus braced himself for the lightning. But, instead of cascading pain he experienced something else. It was as if his entire soul was being ripped out of his body and then planted back in the cruellest way possible. For the rest of his wretched existence he could never describe what happened to him in that moment. Only that it irreversibly changed him.

 **Ryloth (one week later)**

Zatt woke up in a daze. The last thing he remembered was searing heat and Katooni's cruel glee as she was inflicting pain on him. Then his memory went blank. But, he could tell immediately that his surroundings were different. His bed was soft and the room he was in was very pleasant. Was this some kind of cruel trick for him to let down his guard? Zatt didn't know but for now he would make use of his pleasant surroundings. Sinking back into the cushions he fell back into a deep slumber.

 **Tisiphone's office**

Tisiphone sank back down into her chair. When she arrived in Ryloth (a very unstable planet) she knew for a fact her job would be incredibly difficult. But, the amount of administrative work that she had done in the past three days put her off becoming empress. Forever. Suddenly her door opened.

"Greetings Lady Tisiphone." The aide said coming into her office.

"Good evening." Tisiphone said trying not to eye up the young Twi'lek. He was very alluring. He was carrying a large bottle of wine. It was incredibly tempting. To tempting…

"You want a drink?" The Twi'lek asked pouring a glass of wine. Tisiphone eyed the glass carefully. Something was off. But, it was probably nothing; she could do her paperwork tomorrow. But, before she could take a sip a red sabre blasted out of the Twi'lek's body.

"Was that amount of force truly necessary Levi?" Tisiphone said not even looking up at her son.

"Considering you were about to betray dad; yes. He was also a rebel but that's less important." Levi said angrily.

"Go train that boy of yours Levi. He has been sleeping for long enough." Tisiphone said stretching.

"Oh no you don't. I want you to understand how much you mean to dad. If you betray him his fragile state will be broken and you will sink him into eternal despair. Do you want that?!" Levi demanded.

"Of course not!" Tisiphone shouted.

"Then start acting like you give a damn." Levi said marching out of her office. Tisiphone was about to retaliate until she thought the better of it.

Levi was fuming at his mother for making such a rash decision and potentially risking her life. But, he buried that fury and instead focused his mind. He needed to make a good first impression. Levi had seen Xeraph and Ceres' methods with there apprentices (and had witnessed Sidious' first hand). He knew full well the effect brutal Sith training would have on your apprentice. But, Levi wanted to take a different approach. He wanted to see how his apprentice would react to Jedi style training but with a darker edge.

Walking into Zatt's room Levi began to draw the sleeping Nautolan out of his slumber. The combination of lightning and intense heat had turned Zatt's skin from its previous green to a pale white. Levi had already done a medical summary on him and that had confirmed that his skin change would be permanent. After about a minute Zatt waked up.

"Urgh. What is this? Sith!" He shouted bursting awake. He stared at Levi and Levi stared back. "Who are you."?

"I am your master."

"I'm a Jedi. You won't turn me into a monster like you did to Katooni!" Zatt shouted.

"You're right. I won't." Levi stated. This threw Zatt off balance.

"You… Won't?" He said hesitantly.

"No. I will teach you to use the force to it's fullest. I will not turn you into a bloodthirsty monster." Levi said. "Now shall we begin?" The Twi'lek asked whipping off the covers to Zatt's bed. Underneath the Nautolan already had the robes of a dark Jedi on.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked warily.

"Did the Jedi give you one?" Levi countered already leading Zatt out of the room. Zatt sighed. He knew that the topic of the Jedi would dominate much of their conversation.

As the pair walked into a training room, Levi tossed Zatt a sabre. Zatt ignited the blade and a red beam of light emerged from it.

"Defeat me and you are free to go." Levi said with a smile. Zatt's eyes widened in surprise.

"You lie Sith!" He shouted.

"But, there is still a chance I am telling the truth. And you want it to be true don't you? Let me extend the bargain. If you defeat me I will personally make sure you can do whatever you want with Katooni and your other friends." Levi said with a smile. He could feel Zatt's anger flaring at the mention of Katooni. That was good.

Zatt gave a Makashi salute and instantly attacked Levi. The Twi'lek Sith was caught off guard by the brutality of the assault but nonetheless fought it off and counterattacked. Within about ten seconds Zatt was flat on the floor.

"Again!" Levi shouted. Zatt rushed him again and the pattern repeated itself. With every defeat Zatt was driven further into his anger and the dark side. It was a surprisingly efficient method but more importantly to Levi it didn't involve putting his apprentice through intense physical and emotional stress.

 **The Jedi base**

Barris stared at Kenobi as he watched the sleeping form of Satine. She pitied Obi-Wan in so many ways. To love someone so dearly and to have them hate only because of the machinations of the Sith was a cruel fate for anyone to endure. Gently Barris crept into the room.

"I'm going to try and treat her again." Barris said softly. Reluctantly Obi-Wan left the room. Sinking herself into Satine's head Barris tried to make a head or a tail of it. It was a hopeless task. Her brain was like a maze. Treading through someone's mind was incredibly dangerous. It could very easily end in insanity for both Barris and Satine. Sighing Barris tried the other option.

Satine woke up with a start and immediately observed her surroundings like a cornered animal. Finally her wild eyes settled on Barris.

"Is Kenobi here?" She asked frantically.

"No. You're safe from him here." Barris said with a smile. Immediately Satine's face relaxed.

"I- I am?" Satine asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Now lets have a little chat." Barris said warmly. "Tell me about your relationship with Kenobi."

"NO! I won't talk about him. What he did to me!" Satine shouted recoiling with fear.

"Okay that's fine. How about we talk about something else then?" Barris asked quickly changing the topic. "What are you favourite things?"

"Raindrops on roses And whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favourite things" Satine sang with a childish glee. Barris sighed. It was progress to have her not shrieking in fear.

 **Tisiphone's palace (one week later)**

"Apprentice." Levi shouted as he marched into Zatt's room. Zatt glanced up sharply. He was reading some kind of Sith text on Makashi.

"Master." Zatt replied without any hesitation.

"Get equipped. We have a mission." Levi said bluntly. The word "we" caught Levi off guard. Levi had never taken him on a mission before. It was obviously a test of trust. One that Zatt was keen to pass. His experience with Levi had been much different than what he expected. He had expected Levi to be cruel and uncaring but instead he had found the Twi'lek to be a very relaxed guy.

It was intriguing to say the least. None the less Zatt was curious as to what mission had been set for them.

 **In the outer rim**

The city that Levi and Zatt found themselves in was a cluster of buildings and poverty. But, life was slowly improving. The imperial facilities were bringing new jobs and the military were keeping crime to a minimum on the more dangerous parts of the streets. Something like this would have never happened under the republic.

This was partly due to the strength of the imperial regime but it was also obvious that Tisiphone had been actively making the improvements as well. Despite only being in her post for a month she was already vastly popular.

The pair walked into a cramped building and arrived face to face with Obi-Wan Kenobi. The pair took a pair to recognise Obi-Wan before they both ignited there sabres. Obi-Wan responded in turn.

"I see the Jedi are keeping up there child capturing habits." Levi said with disgust.

"As if your order is any better." Obi-Wan replied with equal hatred.

"At least my order teaches the truth."

"If you consider torturing people's loved ones some kind of truth then yes. Your twisted truth is correct. Your entire kind are evil and I will eradicate ALL OF YOU!" Obi-Wan shouted with anger. He knew Levi's mother was responsible for Satine. And he was going to make him pay in her place.

"I thought only Sith dealt in absolutes?" Levi asked with a snigger.

Obi-Wan lunged forward in a powerful Ataru stroke. He had not used the form since he was a Padawan. Levi responded with Equally aggressive Juyo blows as Jedi and Sith battled it out.

Zatt watched helplessly from the sidelines. He wanted to help Obi-Wan but something was stopping him. More and more Levi and the Sith seemed like the more attractive option. Suddenly Obi-Wan disarmed Levi and raised his sabre.

"One less Sith to terrorise the world." He shouted as he raised his blade. But, before he could burn through Levi's skull Zatt intervened force pushing Obi-Wan through a wall and into another building. For a moment Zatt couldn't process what he did. But, he managed to help Levi up and the Twi'lek shook himself off.

"Nice job Zatt." He said. Zatt would have been annoyed at the lack of vocally high praise but he didn't need it. He could feel Levi's pride through the force.

Levi marched into the next room. There an unconscious woman was on a chair whilst a small child was crying in a cot. Levi wrapped the child up in warm cloth and picked her up.

"Your taking the child?!" Zatt asked.

"It's either me or the Jedi. And we both know who provides the better future for Shira here don't we? The Jedi have been taking as many force sensitive's as possible. We know they want round two with the Sith. We won't allow that to happen. The best way to do that is to prevent them from getting any Jedi in the first place." Levi explained casually as the pair walked back to there ship. "You've already seen the positive effect the empire has had on the galaxy. The Jedi would reset that and you know it."

"I agree." Zatt said thoughtfully. "But, why didn't we chase after Kenobi?" Zatt asked.

"By the time we found him he would have recovered and been able to take us both on. You got very lucky." Levi said.

"That's not the reason is it?" Zatt stated. Levi sighed.

"Your right apprentice. Let's say I caught him. And brought him to my mother. What do you think she would do to him?" Levi said floating the question.

"You saw what he was like. He was angry and unbalanced. Perhaps, by letting him go it could be a step forward in preventing the endless cycle of revenge that my mother has decided to jam our family in." Levi said thoughtfully.

"The emperor would not be pleased. Nor would you mother." Zatt said worriedly.

"That's why they don't know anything. It will stay that way. Understood?"

"Yes master." Zatt said bowing his head.

"Good. Now lets get back."

 **A/N I'm not sure really what to think of this one. Nonetheless I hope you enjoy it. It was a bit floaty but I felt like not pushing the plot forward quite yet. All comments are appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N Let's see how this one goes.**

Zatt and Levi were in the middle of an intense training duel. They were spinning, slashing and hacking at an incredible pace with each fighting at their top level. It was a truly hypnotic site. The two darksiders, master and apprentice utilised all their skill. In a rare instance Zatt was the one who finished the duel with a sharp Makashi blow and an incredibly effective disarm.

"You're improving greatly Zatt." Levi said with a smile trying to smother his rage.

"All because of your training master." Zatt replied with a bow. "I have no doubt that you could beat me if you were going all out." Zatt said humbly. This annoyed Levi even more. He had been going all out yet he had still lost.

"I have much to think about. You are dismissed for the day." Zatt looked like he wanted to protest but the look on Levi's face told him otherwise. It would incredibly foolish to anger him.

"As you wish master." The young acolyte said bowing deeply before exiting the chamber. Levi took a different route through Tisiphone's palace and ended up in the room of his father. Maul was in his wheel chair fast asleep like an old man. He looked very frail in his current state.

Again Levi searched Maul's mind to see what he could fix. His father's condition had improved greatly. Mauls mind was a coherent mess. Maul had recovered many memories and had ordered them. But, there were still gaping holes in his mind where memories still had to be patched together. Levi marvelled at his handiwork. He was not massively experienced in the functions of the mind with the force but all things considered he hadn't done to badly.

Gripping his sabre Levi began to ponder. He had never been the best duellist but it was becoming increasingly clear that he wasn't even half decent. He had lost to Kitnandor, he had lost to Obi-Wan and now he was losing to his apprentice? Soon every other Jedi would be able to beat him. What was worse was that he could not improve. No matter how hard he tried.

He was skilled in the force though. Levi's force abilities were always top notch and rivalled those of Tisiphone and Xeraph. For someone so young that was an impressive feat. But, to take them to the next level he would need a Holocron. The only issue was that Sidious had all the Holocron's in Mustafar and Sidious was very picky about what Holocron's he gave away and which ones he kept. That left only one option…

"Ceres?" Levi asked into his comm.

 _"Who else do you think it's going to be?"_

"I need you to do me a favour."

After making that call Levi found Zatt. He had a mission for him.

 **Lothal**

Kitnandor stroked the chin of another child that he had just brought into his orphanage.

"You're beautiful aren't you?" He said stroking her chin again.

"You talking to me?" A heavily pregnant Leucosia said stumbling into the kitchen.

"Not a chance. Just practising for our son." Kitnandor replied flirting with his wife.

"Why you cheeky little-" Leucosia said flirting back. The pair fell down on the sofa.

"She is beautiful though." Kitnandor said stroking the child's chin. Leucosia scanned the child.

"She is. What 's her name?" Leucosia asked.

"Shira. Shira Brie." Kitnandor said in reply. "I hope she will be getting adopted soon. It's hard to tell sometimes."

"If it goes anything like Mara she will be gone tomorrow." Leucosia said in reply looking into Kitnandor's eyes. Kitnandor returned the gesture. Something about looking into his wife's eyes unnerved him. Sometimes they were blue and other times they were yellow. But, most of the time they were somewhere in between.

 **Coruscant (Vader's palace)**

"No that will not do. We cannot have a sand pit at my wedding." Ceres snapped harshly.

"But"

"No buts' you fool! Vader hates sand. This wedding will be perfect! I want nothing to go wrong! Is that understood?" Ceres shouted. The organiser closed his eyes in fear. He was never doing a wedding of this level again. No matter how much they paid him. As if to make the situation worse Vader himself marched into the room.

"Hello dear." Ceres said turning to Vader and opening her arms. Vader accepted the hug but dodged the kiss despite Ceres' obvious annoyance.

"How go the preparations?" Vader asked Ceres.

"As well as you could expect. We should be ready in a few months." Ceres said.

"Excellent. I see you have also added a Nautolan to your entourage." Vader said looking at Zatt.

"Him? Levi wanted me to keep an eye on him." Ceres said carelessly.

"Why?" Vader asked his mind already attaching onto a suspicion.

"Oh. Something about needing some time by himself. And not wanting to thrust him on Tisiphone." Ceres said. "Anyway. I've got some things to run through with you dear." Ceres said firmly clasping Vader's hand. Vader warily let Ceres drag him away.

Ceres dragged Vader through every chamber seemingly possible. First the cake, then the chairs and then the guest list. Ceres was completely oblivious to Vader's increasing annoyance.

"Are we done yet?" Vader growled.

"Almost. Just give me a second." Ceres said disappearing into another room. As soon as she did Vader turned to Zatt.

"Why has Levi sent you here boy?"

"I don't know lord Vader. I think he just needs a break. He also thought this would be a good opportunity for me to learn the politics of the empire." Zatt said respectfully. Vader rolled his eyes.

"Politics is a waste of time boy. But, there is a certain amusement to watching the cretins in the senate as they get shredded." Vader said savagely. Zatt nodded. Vader's presence was different to Levi's. Levi had anger but it was focused. Vader could bring more power to bear even if he and Levi were equal in natural affinity to the force. But, Levi was far more precise. In a covert mission Vader would fail immediately. But, Levi's calmer approach allowed him to do almost anything. It was incredibly interesting to compare the two Sith.

"Of course. Seeing pampered rich kids get humiliated is always worth a look at. Especially considering the state of the galaxy they have done nothing about." Zatt said cautiously replying. Vader sucked it right up. But, before he replied someone caught his attention.

Ceres had reappeared and she looked spectacular. She was in her wedding dress. The black veil and the layers of cloth made that very clear. Ceres had done well. Her wedding dress was not scandalous. But, it still complemented the Togruta's natural beauty. It gave off an impression that Ceres wasn't trying to hard. Vader appreciated that.

"Do you approve?" Ceres asked hesitantly. Vader walked towards Ceres, took her hand and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

"You're perfect." Vader said leading Ceres through the bustle of servants and organisers. Ceres let off a content smile and allowed herself to be lead away.

 **Mustafar**

Levi's ship landed on the base in the entrance of Mustafar. Using the force Levi only detected two dark Jedi guarding the area. Obviously Sidious hadn't expected anyone coming to the base. Using his sabre Levi sliced into the roof of the base slipping into the darkened corridor below.

Expanding his senses Levi found one acolyte fast asleep and the other drunk. This was going to be an incredibly easy operation. Levi knew exactly where the vault of Holocron's was due to the massive dark side energy it created. Using a few more force tricks he entered the vault itself. His yellow eyes flicked across the Holocron's until they finally settled on one. Levi sensed that this of all the ones laid out before him was the knowledge he wanted. Grabbing the Holocron Levi stole away but the moment he removed it alarm bells blazed across the base.

"Shit!" Levi muttered. He ignited his sabre and slashed a hole in the roof triggering more alarms. Making a run for his ship Levi escaped the system unharmed.

 **Under the imperial palace**

Zatt was drawn to this room by the force. Whether it was the dark or the light he did not know. All he knew was that he was drawn here. The door slid open and Zatt found himself in the room of his nightmares; the room that he had been taken from.

"Zatt?" Petro asked wearily. He could barely speak the name of his old friend let alone look up at him. But, Caleb could.

"Another fallen. Are you proud of yourself?" Caleb spat. Zatt sank his head in shame.

"I have no idea what any of you have been through since I've been gone. But, if you get an opportunity to leave take it. And try to serve under Lord Levi. He will treat you with respect." Zatt said desperately trying to give his former friends a way out. At this moment Ganodi looked up and stared Caleb straight in the eye.

"If you cared anything for us you would leave now and stop trying to sell our souls. We have stood our ground and we will continue to." Ganodi said her speech increasing in confidence as it went on.

"As you wish… Good luck." Zatt said bowing to the younglings.

When he left Petro instantly turned to Caleb. Focusing their minds they re-opened the communication.

 _"How go the plans for escape?"_ Petro asked.

 _"It's slow progress. But, we can get out. Eventually."_ Caleb said with confidence he was not feeling.

 _"That is why we must not give in. I know the Jedi are out there. I can sense it."_ Ganodi said bravely. There was a brief hesitation among her companions. Ganodi was more attuned to the force than them. But, even with that the veil of the dark side was so thick it was impossible for them to sense anything. The fact that Ganodi was able to do it even though she had been blocked off from the force for weeks was impressive.

 **The Jedi base**

Obi-Wan's brow was covered with sweat. His mind was filled with a truly awful nightmare. He saw visions of a great icy planet with a thunder storm he did not recognise. And then pain; so much pain. It was a never-ending barrage of torment and evil until finally it stopped. For a moment only darkness clouded Obi-Wan's vision until finally it cleared.

What Obi-Wan saw next terrified him to the core. He saw himself standing in what seemed to be a ships bridge. It was imperial by design. But, it wasn't him. His flame red hair seemed to ignite his very surroundings, his black cloak hung proudly from his back and when 'Obi-Wan' finally turned around his burning yellow eyes seemed to pierce his very soul. The snap-hiss of a red light sabre opened and 'Obi-Wan' launched himself forwarded slashing the nightmare into nothingness.

Obi-Wan was thrown awake by the horrific visions. Was this his fate? To become just like Vader? He dragged himself out of bed switching the light on and looked into the mirror. Staring back at him were a pair of devilishly yellow eyes.

With an unearthly scream Obi-Wan was launched awake. Using his mirror he checked that without a doubt his eyes were blue. Not yellow, blue. Breathing heavily Obi-Wan checked the time. It was 3:56. There was no point going back to sleep. He needed to mediate.

 **A/N Sorry this took so long. Like really I am sorry. I've had a hard few months and not much time to write. I really hope you enjoyed reading, P.S. This site has stopped sending me PM notifications. If that is the same for reviews then that will explain if I reply later than I would normally. Have a great night.**


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